The GEC Laboratory’s defining feature lies in its multi-scale approach to the deformation and alteration, in the wider sense, of rocks, ranging from the terrain and large-scale analysis of geological structures, to the quantified study of rock microstructures and physical modelling and measurement in the laboratory. Its know-how in petrophysics also supports both “geoscience” actions and “environmental” actions. The field of application of the research concerns the assessment of the quality of reservoirs (geothermal energy and hydrocarbons) in complex tectonic contexts, the problem of storage (waste, CO2 and energy) in the natural environment and the deterioration of built heritage materials.

Its areas of research include:

Geosciences

• Rifting and passive margins
• Orogenic domains
• Multi-scale approach to deformation in sedimentary rocks
• Mechanical analysis, numerical simulation and analogue modelling in structural geology
• Geothermal energy

Environment

• Alteration of construction stones - Sustainable methods for the conservation/restoration of built heritage
• Storage in the geological environment: constraints, deformation and petrophysical properties
• Phase change materials for construction