Palynology,sedimentology and palaeoecology of the late Holocene Dead Sea

Palynological and sedimentological studies were performed at two Holocene profiles in erosion gullies (Ze’elim and Ein Feshkha) which dissect the retreating western shore of the Dead Sea. The aim of the project was to analyse possible links between climate, lithology, and vegetation development. The section in Ze’elim shows both lacustrine and fluvial sediments, whereas sedimentation at Ein Feshkha is predominantly lacustrine. The Ze’elim profile, previously used for paleo-lake reconstruction provides an opportunity to compare climate triggered lake levels as paleo-hydrological indicators and vegetation history by use of palynology. The vegetation development in Ze’elim and Ein Feshkha is influenced by both climate and human impact. The pollen record of Ze’elim begins in the Pottery Neolithic, the section of Ein Feshkha in the Late Bronze Age, both records end in the Middle Ages. The Ze’elim section is characterized by sedimentary hiati between the beginning of the Chalcolithic Period until the Middle Bronze Age and within the Late Bronze Age. Settlement periods during the Middle Bronze Age, Iron Age and Hellenistic–Roman–Byzantine Period are indicated by high values of anthropogenic indicators and/or Mediterranean trees. Collapses of agriculture, which can be related to climate effects, are evident during the Late Bronze Age, during the Iron Age and at the end of the Byzantine Period when the lake level curve indicates arid conditions. A comparison of the two pollen records, from different environments, illustrates a more prominent influence of Mediterranean vegetation and cultivated plants in the pollen diagram of Ein Feshkha. The southern Dead Sea region (at the desert fringe) is more vulnerable to regional climate change.     

The genesis of the asphalt in the Dead Sea area

The hydrocarbon occurrences of asphalts, heavy oils and oil shales in the Dead Sea area and the possible genetic relation between them have been studied. The similarity in organochemical characteristics, i.e., the elemental composition of asphaltenes, the distribution pattern of the saturated hydrocarbons and the predominance of V (over Ni)-porphyrins in both the oils and the asphalts indicate a close relation between them. On the other hand, dissimilarities in the same organochemical characteristics in both the asphalts and the oil shale exclude the hypotheses that asphalt was generated and expelled from the oil shales or that the shales were contaminated by oils. Water washing and biodegradation are considered to be the processes through which preferential depletion of hydrocarbons occurred, altering the oils to asphalts. The burial of the degraded asphalt to a relatively great depth resulted in a secondary generation of small amounts of light saturated hydrocarbons in these asphalts. The oils, which are thought to be the precursors of the asphalts, have either been flushed into the Dead Sea depression from the surrounding elevated areas or have seeped upwards from deep local accumulations in the graben.     

Geochemical studies on ozokerite from the Dead Sea area

Ozokerite, a natural mixture of long-chain paraffins, is found at Ein-Humar (Jordan) on the eastern escarpment of the Dead Sea. The Ein-Humar ozokerite is mainly composed of saturated n-paraffins from C₃₀ to presumably well into the C_50′s with a maximum at C₃₈. IR, NMR and chromatographic data indicate the absence of cycloparaffinic and aromatic molecules. The ozokerite is assumed to be related to the heavy asphalts and oils in the Dead Sea area. It probably forms by separation of high-molecular paraffins from non-paraffinaceous heavy oils or asphalts by geothermal heat and precipitation in the conduits due to lowering of temperature.     

Holocene climate variability and cultural evolution in the Near East from the Dead Sea sedimentary record

A comprehensive record of lake level changes in the Dead Sea has been reconstructed using multiple, well dated sediment cores recovered from the Dead Sea shore. Interpreting the lake level changes as monitors of precipitation in the Dead Sea drainage area and the regional eastern Mediterranean palaeoclimate, we document the presence of two major wet phases ( 10–8.6 and  5.6–3.5 cal kyr BP) and multiple abrupt arid events during the Holocene. The arid events in the Holocene Dead Sea appear to coincide with major breaks in the Near East cultural evolution (at  8.6, 8.2, 4.2, 3.5 cal kyr BP). Wetter periods are marked by the enlargement of smaller settlements and growth of farming communities in desert regions, suggesting a parallelism between climate and Near East cultural development.     

The seismic hazard assessment of the Dead Sea rift, Jordan

The Dead Sea fault system and its branching faults represent one of the most tectonically active regions in the Middle East. The aim of this study is to highlight the degree of hazards related to the earthquake activities associated with the Dead Sea rift, in terms of speculating the possible future earthquakes. The present investigation mainly is based on available data and vertical crustal modeling of Jordan and the Dead Sea model for the Dead Sea basin with particular emphasis of the recent earthquake activities, which occurred on December 31st, 2003 (Mc = 3.7), February 11th, 2004 (strongest Mc = 4.9 R), and March 15th, 2004 (Mc = 4). The present research examines the location of the strong events and correlates them with the various tectonic elements in the area. The source mechanism of the main shock and the aftershock events is also examined. The analyses were based on the available short period seismogram data, which was recorded at the Natural Resources Authority of Jordan, Seismological Observatory. The seismic energy appears to have migrated from the south to the north during the period from December 31st up to March 12th, where the released seismic energy showed a migration character to the southern block of the eastern side of the Dead Sea, which led the seismic event to occur on March 15th.     

Sinkhole characterization in the Dead Sea area using airborne laser scanning

Since the early 1980s, the Dead Sea coast has undergone a near catastrophic land deterioration as a result of a rapid lake-level drop. One conspicuous expression of this deterioration is the formation of sinkholes fields that puncture the coastal plains. The evolution of sinkholes along nearly 70-km strip has brought to a halt the regional development in this well-known and toured area and destroyed existing infrastructures. Great efforts are being invested in understanding the phenomena and in development of monitoring techniques. We report in this paper the application of airborne laser scanning for characterization of sinkholes. We demonstrate first the appropriateness of laser scanning for this task and its ability to provide detailed 3D information on this phenomenon. We describe then an autonomous means for their extraction over large regions and with high level of accuracy. Extraction is followed by their detailed geometric characterization. Using this high-resolution data, we show how sinkholes of 0.5 m radius and 25 cm depth can be detected from airborne platforms as well as the geomorphic features surrounding them. These sinkhole measures account for their embryonic stage, allowing tracking them at an early phase of their creation.     

Geotechnical properties of evaporite soils of the Dead Sea area

The Dead Sea Basin is the lowest point on earth and is tectonically subsiding. During the Holocene Period the climate became much drier with increasing evaporation whereby initially lacustrine sediments were deposited from the non-marine brines, giving a multi-layered stratigraphy of lime carbonate and halite sediments. The lime carbonate sediments are comprised of laminated, clay to silt sized, clastic sediments (calcite) and authigenic aragonite and gypsum. The halite commonly appears as rock salt. Chemical industries, based on harvesting the salts from the Dead Sea, have developed on both the Israeli and the Jordanian sides of the basin. The lime carbonate soils are used for dike construction, and these soils, together with significant salt layers, are encountered in the foundations of structures, dikes, and tailings dams, requiring definition of their geotechnical properties. Use of standard soil mechanics definitions and testing approaches for the lime carbonates have been found inapplicable, particularly in view of their exceptionally high saline content, and it has been necessary to develop new concepts. The rock salt is encountered at shallow depths, with unit weights considerably lower than those usually discussed in the literature, and with correspondingly different mechanical properties. The geotechnical properties of these soils, and approaches used to define them, are discussed in the paper.     

Hydrochemistry of aquifers in the southern Dead Sea area,southern Jordan

 The demand for water resources in the area south of the Dead Sea due to continued development, especially at the Arab Potash Company (APC) works necessitates that water quality in the area be monitored and evaluated based on the local geology and hydrogeology. The objective of this paper is to provide information on the past and present status of the main aquifers under exploitation or planned for future development. Two main aquifers are discussed: the Safi water field, presently being operated, and the Dhiraa water field, which is being developed. The aquifer developed in the Safi water field is shallow and fed by the Hasa fault system, which drains a significant portion of the Karak mountains. This aquifer seems to be well replenished within the core, where no obvious long-term degradation in water quality can be identified. However, in the low recharge areas within the distal portions of the alluvial fan, there has been a degradation in water quality with time. The degradation is caused by the dissolution of the Lisan Marl, which is present at the outskirts of the fan system, based on hydrochemistry of water in the wells. The Dhiraa field is a deep (800–950 m) aquifer drilled specifically for the extraction of brackish water present in the Kurnub aquifer. Available data indicate that there are at least three distinct water types within this field. These water types are variable in quality, and there may be potential for mixing of these waters, thus affecting the quality of the freshest waters presently available. Tritium and oxygen isotope analysis indicate that the water is old and possibly nonrenewable. Received: 24 July 1995 · Accepted: 26 September 1995     

Holocene rockfalls in the southern Negev Desert,Israel and their relation to Dead Sea fault earthquakes

Rockfall ages in tectonically active regions provide information regarding frequency and magnitude of earthquakes. In the hyper-arid environment of the Dead Sea fault (DSF), southern Israel, rockfalls are most probably triggered by earthquakes. We dated rockfalls along the western margin of the DSF using terrestrial cosmogenic nuclides (TCN). At each rockfall site, samples were collected from simultaneously exposed conjugate boulders and cliff surfaces. Such conjugate samples initially had identical pre-fall (“inherited”) TCN concentrations. After boulder detachment, these surfaces were dosed by different production rates due to differences in post-fall shielding and geometry. However, in our study area, pre-rockfall inheritance and post-rockfall production rates of TCN cannot be evaluated. Therefore, we developed a numerical approach and demonstrated a way to overcome the above-mentioned problems. This approach can be applied in other settings where rockfalls cannot be dated by simple exposure dating. Results suggest rockfall ages between 3.6 ± 0.8 and 4.7 ± 0.7 ka. OSL ages of sediment accumulated behind the boulders range between 0.6 ± 0.1 and 3.4 ± 1.4 ka and support the TCN results. Our ages agree with dated earthquakes determined in paleoseismic studies along the entire length of the DSF and support the observation of intensive earthquake activity around 4–5 ka.     

大南海地区新生代板块构造活动

在新生代澳大利亚板块和欧亚板块之间的大洋中，存在一些地块(微板块)；同时，澳大利亚板块北部边缘的一些地块先后和澳大利亚板块分离，向北运动，与一些和欧亚板块分离出来的地块先后发生碰撞缝合。在此期间，由于地块分离而发生海底扩张，产生许多小洋盆，如南海、苏录海、苏拉威西海、安达曼海等，最后形成了东南亚地区今日的构造景观。笔者从大南海地区新生代的构造演化史之框架来研究南海地区新生代的构造演化历史，认为南海地区新生代的构造活动既与印度板块和欧亚板块的碰撞有关，也与太平洋板块向欧亚板块的俯冲活动有联系；同时，还受到澳大利亚板块向北运动之影响。南海地区在新生代发生过两次海底扩张，第一次海底扩张发生在42～35Ma前．是受印度板块和欧亚板块碰撞而引起欧亚大陆之下向东南方向之地幔流的影响而发生的，其海底扩张方向为NWSE，产生了南海西南海盆；第二次海底扩张发生于32～17Ma前。由于太平洋板块向欧亚板块俯冲，俯冲的大洋岩石圈已达700km深处，阻挡了欧亚大陆的上地幔向东南方向之流动，从而转向南流动。引起南海地区南北向海底扩张，即新生代第二次海底扩张，产生了南海中央海盆。南海新生代洋盆诞生之后，由于大南海地区继续有地块碰撞和边缘海海底扩张，对南海南部地区产生挤压，从而使这里的沉积发生变形，这就引起万安运动(南海南部)。     

S-wave velocity images of the Dead Sea Basin provided by ambient seismic noise

Based on passive seismic interferometry applied to ambient seismic noise recordings between station pairs belonging to a small-scale array, we have obtained shear wave velocity images of the uppermost materials that make up the Dead Sea Basin. We extracted empirical Green’s functions from cross-correlations of long-term recordings of continuous data, and measured inter-station Rayleigh wave group velocities from the daily correlation functions for positive and negative correlation time lags in the 0.1–0.5 Hz bandwidth. A tomographic inversion of the travel times estimated for each frequency is performed, allowing the laterally varying 3-D surface wave velocity structure below the array to be retrieved. Subsequently, the velocity-frequency curves are inverted to obtain S-wave velocity images of the study area as horizontal depth sections and longitude- and latitude-depth sections. The results, which are consistent with other previous ones, provide clear images of the local seismic velocity structure of the basin. Low shear velocities are dominant at shallow depths above 3.5 km, but even so a spit of land with a depth that does not exceed 4 km is identified as a salt diapir separating the low velocities associated with sedimentary infill on both sides of the Lisan Peninsula. The lack of low speeds at the sampling depth of 11.5 km implies that there are no sediments and therefore that the basement is near 10–11 km depth, but gradually decreasing from south to north. The results also highlight the bowl-shaped basin with poorly consolidated sedimentary materials accumulated in the central part of the basin. The structure of the western margin of the basin evidences a certain asymmetry both whether it is compared to the eastern margin and it is observed in north–south direction. Infill materials down to ∼8 km depth are observed in the hollow of the basin, unlike what happens in the north and south where they are spread beyond the western Dead Sea shore.     

全新世渤海泥质沉积物地球化学特征

对渤海泥质区柱状沉积物的粒度与化学成分的分析及AMS 14C测年数据表明,全新世以来本区泥质沉积物的物质来源与沉积环境较为稳定.R型因子分析得出三种主要组合类型,以Ca、Ti和Mn为代表,分别对应黄河物质影响、陆源细粒物质输入和海洋自生作用.其中西南部与中部泥形成于约6000 a B.P.以来,黄河物质影响较强,主要在潮余流的作用下搬运后沉积下来.北部泥自早全新世之前便已开始形成,且主要沉积于高海面之前,受滦河物质作用相对较强.南部和北部泥质沉积年代存在明显差异,受水深、离岸距离、海平面高度等多种因素影响.尽管距黄河口较近,但区内沉积速率远低于中国近海其他泥质体,这与渤海环流状况及泥沙运移方向关系密切.     

上海地区全新世海面变化及环境演化

收集和整理上海地区各类古海面标志的地质意义及~(14)C测年资料,建立了上海地区全新世海面变化曲线。并结合上海地区地层建造、微古化石、孢粉及古人类遗址的发掘资料,探讨了上海地区全新世的环境演化,及环境变化对古人类活动的影响。     

The Northern end of the Dead Sea Basin: Geometry from reflection seismic evidence

Recently released reflection seismic lines from the Eastern side of the Jordan River north of the Dead Sea were interpreted by using borehole data and incorporated with the previously published seismic lines of the eastern side of the Jordan River. For the first time, the lines from the eastern side of the Jordan River were combined with the published reflection seismic lines from the western side of the Jordan River. In the complete cross sections, the inner deep basin is strongly asymmetric toward the Jericho Fault supporting the interpretation of this segment of the fault as the long-lived and presently active part of the Dead Sea Transform. There is no indication for a shift of the depocenter toward a hypothetical eastern major fault with time, as recently suggested. Rather, the north-eastern margin of the deep basin takes the form of a large flexure, modestly faulted. In the N–S-section along its depocenter, the floor of the basin at its northern end appears to deepen continuously by roughly 0.5 km over 10 km distance, without evidence of a transverse fault. The asymmetric and gently-dipping shape of the basin can be explained by models in which the basin is located outside the area of overlap between en-echelon strike-slip faults.     

Late Holocene climates of the Near East deduced from Dead Sea level variations and modern regional winter rainfall

The Dead Sea is a terminal lake of one of the largest hydrological systems in the Levant and may thus be viewed as a large rain gauge for the region. Variations of its level are indicative of the climate variations in the region. Here, we present the decadal- to centennial-resolution Holocene lake-level curve of the Dead Sea. Then we determine the regional hydroclimatology that affected level variations. To achieve this goal we compare modern natural lake-level variations and instrumental rainfall records and quantify the hydrology relative to lake-level rise, fall, or stability. To quantify that relationship under natural conditions, rainfall data pre-dating the artificial Dead Sea level drop since the 1960s are used. In this respect, Jerusalem station offers the longest uninterrupted pre-1960s rainfall record and Jerusalem rains serve as an adequate proxy for the Dead Sea headwaters rainfall. Principal component analysis indicates that temporal variations of annual precipitation in all stations in Israel north of the current 200 mm yr⁻¹ average isohyet during 1940–1990 are largely synchronous and in phase (70% of the total variance explained by PC1). This station also represents well northern Jordan and the area all the way to Beirut, Lebanon, especially during extreme drought and wet spells. We (a) determine the modern, and propose the past regional hydrology and Eastern Mediterranean (EM) climatology that affected the severity and length of droughts/wet spells associated with multiyear episodes of Dead Sea level falls/rises and (b) determine that EM cyclone tracks were different in average number and latitude in wet and dry years in Jerusalem. The mean composite sea level pressure and 500-mb height anomalies indicate that the potential causes for wet and dry episodes span the entire EM and are rooted in the larger-scale northern hemisphere atmospheric circulation. We also identified remarkably close association (within radiocarbon resolution) between climatic changes in the Levant, reflected by level changes, and culture shifts in this region.     

塔里木盆地地震剖面地质解释及其构造演化

从地震剖面显示塔里木盆地发育为手风琴式演化史,大体上形成三层"断-坳"结构:(l)震旦系的"断",古生界—三叠系的"坳";(2)侏罗系的"断",白垩系的"坳";(3)古近系的"断",新近系的"坳"。断陷与坳陷分别由拉张与挤压应力场所致,这种应力场的变化是由相邻洋壳板块俯冲倾角由小到大的变化所引起的。由于地壳的多旋回运动,多次发生构造沉积演变,构成了多套生储盖组合,多领域、多种圈闭类型的油气藏,从震旦系—古生界—中生界—新生界,各断陷-坳陷结构的盆地都具有可能形成油气藏的地质条件。     

Stromatolites in caves of the Dead Sea Fault Escarpment: implications to latest Pleistocene lake levels and tectonic subsidence

A varied assemblage of algal stromatolites was encountered in caves along the northern section of the Dead Sea Fault Escarpment. The caves are situated at the lower part of the escarpment at altitudes ?310 to ?188 m relative to mean sea level (m.s.l.), i.e. ca 110–230 m above the present Dead Sea level. The cave stromatolites are mainly composed of aragonite yielding U–Th ages of ～75–17 ka. The altitude, mineralogy and ages, as well as comparison with previously documented stromatolite outcrops in the area, ascribe the cave stromatolites to the aragonite-precipitating hypersaline Lake Lisan—the Late Pleistocene predecessor of the Dead Sea.The stromatolites are used as a lake level gauge, based on the algae being reliant upon the light of the upper water layer. Preservation of the original structure and aragonite mineralogy of the stromatolites, suggests a closed system regarding the radioactive elements, enabling reliable U–Th dating. A curve of Lake Lisan levels is constructed based on the stromatolite ages and cave elevations. The following points are noted: (1) Lake levels of ?247 m relative to m.s.l., are recorded at ～75–72.5 ka; (2) relatively high lake levels above ?220 m relative to m.s.l., are achieved at ～41.5 ka, and are still recorded at ～17 ka; (3) the peak level is ?188 m relative to m.s.l., at ～35.5–29.5 ka. These results indicate lake stands up to 80 m higher than previously accepted, for large parts of the Lake Lisan time span. This difference is explained by tectonic subsidence of up to 2.2 m/ka within the Dead Sea depression since the latest Pleistocene. This subsidence rate is in the same order of magnitude with previously calculated subsidence rates for the Dead Sea depression [Begin, Z.B., Zilberman, E., 1997. Main Stages and Rate of the Relief Development in Israel. Geological Survey of Israel report, Jerusalem]. Unlike previous Lake Lisan level estimations, the new curve is measured at the relatively stable shoulders of the Dead Sea depression.     

南海岩石圈厚度变化特征及其构造意义

地震层析资料表明,南海地区,自红河口向南经南海、苏录海到苏拉威西海,岩石圈速度低,底部横波速度仅4.4km/s,岩石圈厚度在60～80km,为薄岩石圈地区;而软流层的速度也较低,在4.2～4.4km/s,但厚度较大,大于200km。从红河—莺歌海断裂带经南海到苏录海,存在一条北西向宽约200km的上地幔北西向低速带,速度在4.05～4.25km/s(面波速度)。它反映了新生代南海地区上地幔的动力学过程。南海岩石圈厚度变化存在明显差异,南海陆缘,岩石圈厚度在70～80km,而在南海洋盆之下,岩石圈厚度超过100km,岩石圈底部存在高速岩石层,并且洋盆下的岩石圈之厚度比大陆边缘厚,在海盆岩石圈下部的60～80km深度上存在一高速层,纵波速度为8.2～8.3km/s。特别是中央海盆及西北海盆与西南海盆,其下部岩石圈中均存在一高速岩石层,这是非常具有构造意义的。由此笔者提出大陆岩石圈裂离、上地幔因减压而部分熔融所产生的基性岩浆形成南海新生代洋壳的猜想。     

Granite-free area in Black Sea trough,from seismic data

Absence of granite in the crust under the central part of the Black Sea depression is confirined by the two methods. The sediments are underlain by basalt; granite is detectable only on the depression's periphery. Boundaries of the granite-free zone are clearly defined in the north and east of the sea; so far, no deep seismic sounding has been conducted in the west (fig. 5) where the "wedging-Out" of granite, toward the center of the depression, outside the competence of unaided seismological analysis, has been indicated on geomorphological premises (fig. 1).--V.P.Sokoloff.     

Seismic measurements in the southern Dead Sea

A seismic refraction profile and several seismic CDP reflection lines were recently occupied in the southwestern part of the Dead Sea. The seismic data, which are of good quality, give a clear picture of the structure of the area. The western flank of the rift comprises a series of step faults, downthrown to the east with a total throw of some 7 km at which depth the Cretaceous base of the post-Cretaceous fill is located. On the east—west lines the base of the fill dips to the east while on the north—south lines this complex dips to the south with a change in direction of dip being evident in the southern portion of this profile. The post-Cretaceous sediments reach a maximum thickness of 7 km but may be even thicker eastward near the main eastern rift fault. These sediments are gently folded, possibly due to differential compaction and are dislocated by small-magnitude adjustment faults. Lateral transition from bedded layers of salt in the graben fill to a diapir is clearly seen.