Welcome to the Geophysical Center of Dourbes

Pavillon central du centre de Physique du Globe

The Geophysical Center Of Dourbes is a fundamental and applied Research Center which is part of the Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium (RMI). It was inaugurated in 1956 by Professor Edmond LAHAYE, Director of the RMI at that time. The Center is located at Dourbes (South of Belgium), close to the French border, far from all electric and magnetic disturbances.

The mission of the Geophysical Center of Dourbes is to measure and to study the following geophysical phenomena:

• The present and past magnetic field of the Earth;
• The ionospheric activity and its influence on Global Navigation Satellite Systems;
• Cosmic rays;
• The atmospheric electric field;
• Thunderstorm radioelectric emissions and tropospheric propagation;
• Meteorology.

The Center also hosts instruments for other Institutes. The following measurements are collected at Dourbes:

• Seismic, gravimetric and GPS measurements;
• The monitoring of the atmospheric radioactivity.

We invite you to a guided tour of the Center.