Objective
Earthquakes pose a major threat to society, yet short-term forecasting remains elusive due to our limited understanding of how they initiate. Recent advances in seismology and geodesy have significantly enhanced the resolution of observations, revealing the stressed and fractured nature of the earthquake-hosting crust at plate boundaries. However, laboratory rock deformation studies still fall short—focusing on far-from-reality optimal fault orientations in intact elastic crust. MEMENTO—Monitoring Earthquake Mechanics under Evolving Natural TectOnic stress—will bridge this gap by replicating, for the first time, a critically stressed and highly fractured crust during the earthquake preparatory and nucleation phases, under diverse stress regimes, including pioneering experiments on extensional earthquakes.
MEMENTO is structured around three main objectives: (1) decoding the role of a critically stressed crust in earthquake mechanics, (2) advancing experimental capabilities for simulating diverse tectonic stress conditions, and (3) integrating laboratory findings with natural seismic sequences using numerical and seismological tools.
The project will employ a novel rock deformation prototype, DANTE—Deformation Apparatus simulating Natural Tectonic stress Evolution—to capture the interplay between stress, damage, and slip across the entire earthquake cycle and the full spectrum of tectonic stress regimes. MEMENTO will provide an unprecedented perspective on how diverse stress regimes govern earthquake precursors and nucleation.
To ensure the relevance of laboratory findings to natural seismic sequences, MEMENTO will integrate experimental results with state-of-the-art quasi-dynamic simulations and high-resolution seismic observations. This upscaling effort bridges the gap between controlled experiments and real-world seismicity, establishing a new benchmark for understanding earthquake mechanics and informing the development of more reliable forecasting tools.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-STG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
75794 PARIS
France
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.