Recent vertical movements from precise levelling in the vicinity of the city of Basel, Switzerland

Abstract

The southern end of the Upper Rhine Graben is one of the zones in Switzerland where recent crustal movements can be expected because of ongoing seismotectonic processes as witnessed by seismicity clusters occurring in this region. Therefore, in 1973 a control network with levelling profiles across the eastern Rhine Graben fault was installed and measured in the vicinity of the city of Basel in order to measure relative vertical movements and investigate their relationship with seismic events. As a contribution to EUCOR-URGENT, the profiles were observed a third time in the years 2002 and 2003 and connected to the Swiss national levelling network. The results of these local measurements are discussed in terms of accuracy and significance. Furthermore, they are combined and interpreted together with the extensive data set of recent vertical movements in Switzerland (Jura Mountains, Central Plateau and the Alps). In order to be able to prove height changes with precise levelling, their values should amount to at least 3–4 mm (1σ). The present investigations, however, have not shown any significant vertical movements over the past 30 years.