At the opening of the Bedretto Lab in May of 2019: ETH geophysicist Marian Hertrich (right, in yellow vest) gives a tour to the VIP group, taking them through a former ventilation shaft of the Matterhorn-Gotthard railway line. During the 30-minute march, Hertrich stops at key areas and tells his guests that “walking through this tunnel is like taking a tour of Earth’s entire history”.
Bedretto Lab
In the recently opened Bedretto Underground Laboratory for Geoenergies – located in the Alps of southwestern Switzerland – ETH Professor Domenico Giardini and his team will conduct research into deep geothermal energy under real conditions. Giardini’s team as well as other national and international research groups will carry out closely monitored experiments to discover how rock layers react to drilling and water injections. The goal is to access and use the heat in the interior of the earth.