Due to their inherently unpredictable nature and uncertain driving mechanisms, earthquakes and their impact on society are extremely challenging to forecast. Understanding earthquakes is crucial for safety precautions and risk assessments in seismically active regions like South America, particularly Chile, where the Nazca Plate subducts beneath the South American Plate and drives significant tectonic deformation, volcanic activity, and seismicity. This makes developing a comprehensive understanding of the region's subsurface structure particularly vital.

This project focuses on developing 3D geophysical models of the subsurface structure beneath the central Andes and the surrounding forelands, extending all the way from the surface down to the upper mantle, defining key geological units. Using an integrated approach, combining conversions of seismic velocities with gravity modeling (IGMAS+) along with extensive data integration, the project aims to construct refined 3D models of the crust and lithosphere, including structural, thermal and rheological properties. A particular focus hereby lies on the density, thermal and mechanical properties of rocks as they exert a significant control on their strength and how they deform at different depth levels and over time.

The investigation of rock properties and related physical state of the subsurface is essential to understand the effects of subduction dynamics onto crustal processes of mountain building, magmatism, and seismicity. The models will be the basis for various calculations and simulations not only capturing the present-day compositional heterogeneities of the earthquake hosting rocks, but also the change in structural and physical properties created by the dynamic subduction environment.

Previous works have already yielded various databased and conceptual models for this region. We combine these with newly available data (e.g., from IPOC) and improved data analysis methods to develop coherent models that reflect the current physical state of the Andean subsurface and provide new insights into its dynamics.