University web address: www.ig-geophysics.ge

The Institute of Geophysics is one of the leading Earth Sciences research centers in Georgia, founded more than eighty years ago with its headquarters in Tbilisi. Seventy scientists are working there on nine major topics in Solid Earth Physics and Physics of Atmosphere. One of the main topics of the institute is Seismology, Seismic hazard and Disasters risks.
The IGTSU carries out studies dealing with disaster risk reduction that include: general seismic hazard and risk assessment; special seismic zoning related to infrastructures such as roads, pipelines, construction areas, dams, etc.; induced seismicity; creation of databases for geo-hazard in Georgia (12 types of hazard among which earthquakes, landslides, avalanches, debris flows, hail, storms, floods and flash-floods, etc.); modelling of marine ecological systems; atmosphere pollution; climate change; geo-dynamic monitoring of the Enguri High Arc Dam; surface and underground water pollution; field and laboratory measurements of water pollution; geophysical methods aimed at the assessment of geo-morphological hazards (landslides, debris flows).
The IGTSU has been a main partner in large projects (GSHAP, EMME), dealing with the assessment of geohazards at the global and regional scale. The IGTSU has also been a partner in several international projects, funded by INTAS, NATO, ISTC, INCO-COPERNICUS, related to seismic hazard and risk assessment, compilation of regional seismic information network, modeling of physical processes related to earthquakes, study of seismic precursors, stress-related geohazards at Caucasus, etc.
The IGTSU holds close cooperation links with many institutions abroad. The institute publishes the Journal of the Georgian Geophysical Society (in English, two issues per year).