Description: Lake Ohrid (Macedonia / Albania) is probably the oldest lake in Europe (2-5 Ma), and is considered an important sedimentary archive to study the evolution of a graben system over several million years. Multichannel seismic profiles were acquired in 2007 and 2008 showing that the lake can be divided into two main parts, the slope areas and a large, deep central basin. The basin is bordered by the major eastern and western graben fault, additional faults were identifi ed in the northern part of the lake. These faults are active, as we can trace them from the basement up to the lake floor. Clinoforms mainly found in the southern part of the lake indicate that the Lake has undergone major lake level fluctuations. The central basin shows widespread areas with thick, undisturbed sedimentary successions. No indications for a dry lake are found in this part of the lake, hence, offering the possibility to recover long, continuous archives for the entire lifetime of Lake Ohrid in the frame of the proposed SCOPSCO(Scientific Collaboration On Past Speciation Conditions in Lake Ohrid)-ICDP(International Continental Drilling Program) campaign. Five primary drilling locations have been chosen as ICDP sites. One 680 m long record in the central part will provide substantial information on age and origin of the lake, as well as a complete record of environmental history (incl. e.g. tephra deposition, evolutionary changes and their relation to geological events). Furthermore, four additional drill sites closer to the shore of the lake will provide information on major changes of the hydrological regime, the age of ancient foresets, lake level changes, the tectonic activity, and mass movements. The drilling proposal is approved by ICDP and will be realized in summer 2011 or 2012.

Description: The Workshop focus was on the specific safety requirements of railbound transportation systems. For the latter, early warning is crucial not only because of the long braking times of trains but also because of the high demands on track geometry and stability necessary for safe train operation. In addition, after a natural disaster, reliable and fast information about the state of the railway infrastructure (damage map) is of utmost importance in order to mitigate the consequences of the disaster. During two days experts from the fields of seismology, sensor technology, railway engineering, computer science, and railway safety reviewed the state of the art and the potential of early warning for transportation systems. Major workshop topics were – seismic early warning and sensors, – early warning of endangered trains, – damage assessment for railway infrastructure, – modern geo-standard based information systems, – train control and safety strategies. Another purpose of the workshop was to delineate the possibilities and limitations of a railway infrastructure integrated network of accelerometers that can be used for permanent structural health monitoring and earthquake early warning.

Description: In the frame of the R&D-programme GEOTECHNOLOGIEN thirteen joint interdisciplinary projects have been launched in April 2008. The object of research is the better understanding of the multiple physical and chemical reactions at mineral surfaces. The abstract volume summarizes the scientific results presented during the status seminar at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany in October 2010.