The Geological Survey of Belgium with Gallego Technical Geophysics will be conducting a seismic survey to determine the presence of rocks favorable for the development of geothermal energy in the region of Wallonia, Belgium. This campaign is called GEOCOND2022 and will be done within the framework of the DGE-ROLLOUT project financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Walloon region.
The objective of the survey is to identify deep geothermal reservoirs along two 30-kilometer profiles. Below is a map of the survey profiles with line L1 running from the municipalities of Fernelmont to Marche-en-Famenne, and line L2 running from Gembloux to Onhaye. The campaign will take place in December 2022.
Map of seismic survey profiles in Wallonia, Belgium (source: DGE-ROLLOUT)
Geophysical prospecting allows for subsurface imaging by sending waves into the subsoil and recording their return to the surface after they have been reflected by the different subsurface geological layers. The waves will be generated by a convoy of three vibrating trucks and recorded on the surface by geophones.
The geophysical prospecting campaign will not cause any major nuisance and is risk-free. The passage of the vibrating trucks is similar to that of a tamper. In urban areas, the convoy of trucks will be supervised by safety and signal vehicles. The vibration level is monitored and adjusted in real-time in the vicinity of buildings and pipelines according to the German standard DIN 4150.
A similar campaign, also done under the DGE-ROLLOUT project, had been previously done in the region of Lommel in the Belgian province of Limburg.
