About me
I am senior seismologist at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI). Prior to this, I was assistant professor of seismo-acoustics at Delft University of Technology. I received a M.Sc. in geophysics from Utrecht University, and specialized in seismology while obtaining my Ph.D. degree at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zürich, Switzerland. Through various projects, I attempt to increase our understanding of the Dutch and Earth's subsurface and develop and apply methodology for this purpose. Research interests include:
- Induced seismicity
Specifically, the determination of source characteristics such as moment tensors and source-time functions. This can be in the context of gas depletion, geothermal systems, or other subsurface interventions. - Probabilistic inversions
Based on Bayes' rule, probabilities can be determined for all models in the model space, that is, the so-called posterior distribution. This involves evaluation of the likelihood function, which uses the measured data, and the prior probability. Geophysical applications include moment tensor inversions and tomographic inversions - Seismic interferometry
Cross-correlations and/or deconvolutions of existing signals can be used to reconstruct new subsurface responses. The newly generated responses may serve as input to tomographic inverse problems (see below) or can be used to estimate structural changes of the medium. Interferometric techniques can be applied on many scales (from imaging rift zones to monitoring the behavior of rocks in a labarotory). - Surface-wave imaging & monitoring
By definition, surface waves propagate near the Earth's surface. As such, they are sensitive to the elastic, anelastic, and density structure of the near surface. How near "near" is, depends on the wavelength of the surface waves. This type of waves can therefore be used to image and/or monitor the entire crust and lower mantle (long wavelengths) as well as the top few meters (short wavelengths). - Seismic tomography
Seismic tomography is a technique for imaging the subsurface of the Earth using seismic waves. These waves can be produced by earthquakes or explosions, but may also be retrieved using seismic interferometry (see above). Different types of waves can be used (P-, S-, and surface waves), and, depending on wavelength, result in tomographic models of different resolution.
For more details regarding my previous work, training, and output, I refer to my background page, CV, and publication list. Project information can be found on my projects page. Next to science, I enjoy family life, literature, hiking, and various sports (e.g., cycling).
© 2025 Kees Weemstra