3,6,7,9,1- 1University of Lausanne, Switzerland (gyorgy.hetenyi@unil.ch)
- 2Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France (matteo.scarponi@univ-lyon1.fr)
- 3Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany (denis.anikiev@gfz.de)
- 4University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary (barbely.eniko@epss.hun-ren.hu)
- 5Institute of Earth Physics and Space Science, Sopron, Hungary (papp.gabor@epss.hun-ren.hu)
- 6Institute for Geosciences, Christian-Albrechts Universität zu Kiel, Germany (sabine.schmidt@ifg.uni-kiel.de)
- 7Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, India (ismaiel@iitdalumni.com)
- 8HUN-REN Institute of Earth Physics and Space Science, Sopron, Hungary (benedek.judit@epss.hun-ren.hu)
- 9Istituto di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV), Sezione di Bologna, Italy (rosaria.tondi@ingv.it)
The Balmuccia peridotite is a well-known outcrop in the Italian Alps, with a surface extent of ca. 4.4 km. by 0.6 km, including a ca. 1000 m elevation change. It is of particular interest for project DIVE (Drilling the Ivrea-Verbano zonE, ICDP expedition 5071) phase 2 as it is a prime site to continuously sample the crust–mantle transition by drilling, and to test the suitability of a natural peridotite body for serpentinization and hydrogen production.
Current models of the subsurface extent of the Balmuccia peridotite differ significantly, depending not only on the geoscience discipline of investigation, but also on the characteristics of the geophysical imaging campaigns. Therefore, in an effort to reduce the uncertainties regarding the geometry of the Balmuccia peridotite body at depth, we have launched an open, participative gravity-modelling challenge (Hetényi et al. 2024): a new gravity dataset of 151 points is shared with anyone interested, accompanied by a geological map, rock densities of the different lithologies, and a digital elevation model. Interested parties can design various 3D model setups and perform modelling and/or inversion, the results of which can then be compared.
In the past year, several groups have shown interest in modelling the target body, and have undertaken processing steps, corrections, and defined model geometry classes for forward modelling. While the initial concept was to let each group work independently, regular meetings allowed to agree on a few steps beyond what was provided with the data (such as an optimized DEM to be used by all participants), and to discuss individual questions regarding the data and the computations. In this contribution we will present the progress of this initiative, compare existing models or their elements, taking into account other geophysical data beyond gravimetric measurements, and outline the remaining questions. Preliminary conclusions regarding the geometry of the Balmuccia peridotite body are planned to be presented.
How to cite: Baron, L., Scarponi, M., Anikiev, D., Barbély, E., Benedek, J., Götze, H.-J., Ismaiel, M., Papp, G., Schmidt, S., Tondi, R., and Hetényi, G.: Participative gravity-modelling of the Balmuccia peridotite body: progress report, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-17417, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-17417, 2025.
