Academia
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Geosciences Department represented at ESC
The Department of Geosciences at the University of Malta was strongly represented at the 40th General Assembly of the European Seismological Commission (ESC), held in Istanbul, Türkiye, from 6 to 11 September 2026.
The General Assembly brought together seismologists and researchers from across Europe and beyond to present recent advances in earthquake science, seismic monitoring, geophysics, and environmental seismology.
The Department’s participation highlighted the breadth of seismological research being undertaken at the University of Malta, including earthquake detection and monitoring, seismic imaging, ambient noise analysis, environmental seismology, seismic hazard assessment, subsurface characterisation, and telecommunications fibre-based seismic monitoring.
The University of Malta delegation included Mr Luke Said, Dr Matthew Agius, Prof. Sebastiano D’Amico, and Dr Emanuele Colica.
Their contributions also showcased collaborative research involving colleagues Prof. Alfred Micallef, Prof. Adam Gauci, Mr Daniele Caruana, Dr Oluwatimilehin Benjamin Balogun, Peter Iregbeyen, and Dr Luciano Galone, reflecting the Department’s involvement in a number of ongoing national and international research projects.
Prof. Sebastiano D’Amico, Head of the Department of Geosciences, chaired two scientific sessions, moderated a panel discussion on seismic hazards and the use of seismic data to better understand and monitor these hazards, and chaired activities of the ESC Working Group on Environmental Seismology.
He also presented research on environmental seismic signals recorded in Tierra del Fuego, including vibrations potentially generated by penguins and beavers, as well as the first macrozonation study of seismic hazard in Ushuaia, Argentina.
Dr Emanuele Colica presented research from several projects. His contributions included work on environmental seismology for subsurface characterisation in heterogeneous limestone terrains through the LIMESAFE project, ambient noise imaging of the coastal subsurface at Mar del Plata, Argentina, and HVSR-based characterisation of the Northern Salado Basin. These studies demonstrate the application of seismic methods to a range of environmental and geological problems.
Dr Matthew Agius delivered two oral presentations on behalf of colleagues. The first, representing Marie Curie Fellow Oluwatimilehin Benjamin Balogun, examined the structure and deformation of the Anatolian region using gravity gradients and geodetic displacement rates as part of the Horizon Europe REMCR今日黑料R project.
The second, on behalf of Daniele Caruana, explored seismic and environmental signals recorded along the Malta–Catania telecommunications fibre through the Horizon Europe SENSEI project.
PhD student Peter Iregbeyen presented research investigating crustal structures beneath Malta and the surrounding region using surface-wave seismic imaging. Master’s student Luke Said presented “Advancing Local Earthquake Detection from Single-Station Analysis”, focusing on improving automated earthquake detection and localisation using single-station data from the Malta Seismic Network.
The Department’s participation provided an important opportunity to present research conducted in Malta and through international collaborations, while facilitating scientific exchange with researchers working on seismicity, tectonics, environmental seismology, and seismic hazard.
The strong presence of the University of Malta at ESC 2026 reflects the growing range of seismological research being conducted by the Department of Geosciences and its continued engagement with the international scientific community.
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