Exhumed fault-bounded Alpine blocks along the Periadriatic lineament: the Eder unit (Carnic Alps, Austria)

The Eder unit in the Carnic Alps, which is situated immediately south of the Periadriatic lineament (PL), represents a fault-bounded block consisting of a low-grade (up to 400?°C, indicated by epizonal illite “crystallinity” values, recrystallized quartz, and non-recrystallized white mica) metamorphic Paleozoic metasedimentary sequence. Until now, it has been assumed to represent a separate Variscan nappe. The rocks of the Eder unit show a strong E- to W-oriented stretching lineation on steep foliation planes (D₁) subparallel to the PL. D₁ structures originated near the temperature peak of metamorphism, and shear sense indicators show dextral ductile shear parallel to the PL. Tight mesoscale D₂ folds formed on the cooling path. K–Ar and Ar–Ar ages from newly formed white mica cluster around 32–28 and 18–13 Ma and suggest a two-stage Tertiary history of the Eder unit. We interpret the Eder unit as a fault-bounded block formed during Oligocene large-scale dextral shearing along the PL (near T_max) and exhumed in mid-Miocene times during another phase of activity along the PL. Its nature as a separate Variscan nappe is questioned.     

Active tectonic morphology and submarine deformation of the northern Gulf of Eilat/Aqaba from analyses of multibeam data

A high-resolution marine geophysical study was conducted during October-November 2006 in the northern Gulf of Aqaba/Eilat, providing the first multibeam imaging of the seafloor across the entire gulf head spanning both Israeli and Jordanian territorial waters. Analyses of the seafloor morphology show that the gulf head can be subdivided into the Eilat and Aqaba subbasins separated by the north-south-trending Ayla high. The Aqaba submarine basin appears starved of sediment supply, apparently causing erosion and a landward retreat of the shelf edge. Along the eastern border of this subbasin, the shelf is largely absent and its margin is influenced by the Aqaba Fault zone that forms a steep slope partially covered by sedimentary fan deltas from the adjacent ephemeral drainages. The Eilat subbasin, west of the Ayla high, receives a large amount of sediment derived from the extensive drainage basins of the Arava Valley (Wadi ’Arabah) and Yutim River to the north–northeast. These sediments and those entering from canyons on the south-western border of this subbasin are transported to the deep basin by turbidity currents and gravity slides, forming the Arava submarine fan. Large detached blocks and collapsed walls of submarine canyons and the western gulf margin indicate that mass wasting may be triggered by seismic activity. Seafloor lineaments defined by slope gradient analyses suggest that the Eilat Canyon and the boundaries of the Ayla high align along north- to northwest-striking fault systems—the Evrona Fault zone to the west and the Ayla Fault zone to the east. The shelf–slope break that lies along the 100 m isobath in the Eilat subbasin, and shallower (70–80 m isobaths) in the Aqaba subbasin, is offset by approx. 150 m along the eastern edge of the Ayla high. This offset might be the result of horizontal and vertical movements along what we call the Ayla Fault on the east side of the structure. Remnants of two marine terraces at 100 m and approx. 150 m water depths line the southwest margin of the gulf. These terraces are truncated by faulting along their northern end. Fossil coral reefs, which have a similar morphological appearance to the present-day, basin margin reefs, crop out along these deeper submarine terraces and along the shelf–slope break. One fossil reef is exposed on the shelf across the Ayla high at about 60–63 m water depth but is either covered or eroded in the adjacent subbasins. The offshore extension of the Evrona Fault offsets a fossil reef along the shelf and extends south of the canyon to linear fractures on the deep basin floor.     

Building in Israel throughout the ages

Conclusions Historical-botanical investigations carried out at various sites in Israel point to the use of Cedar of Lebanon wood for special construction purposes, during different periods, in various regions of the country (Tab 3).The cedar of Lebanon grows outside Israel and required a special system of commerce for it to be brought to the building sites. This included the felling of the trees in the mountains, their transportation to the coast, loading on ships, shipment or floating them by sea to Israel and its subsequent transportation to remote parts of the country. Such a commercial system could have existed only in a prosperous period characterised by a booming economy and a well-organised administration. These circumstances occurred in Palestine only from the Middle Bronze Age onwards up to the Crusaders period. Later on, during most of the Mameluk and the Ottoman periods (13th to 19th centuries), Palestine was a neglected place and an international trade in timber was in practical terms absent. Only in the second half of the nineteenth century Palestine regained part of the previous circumstances, which was characterised by the use of imported timber, firstly Near Eastern trees — the cedar of Lebanon as the most suitable one.The distribution pattern of cedar remnants in Israel is obvious and enables us to evaluate the wealth, economy, commerce, transportation systems and overall administration of the different regimes in Palestine during various periods in the past. Today there are only scattered groves and stands, most of these planted during the last decade to restore the cedar forests of the past. Therfore the evidence from Israel can show that the overexploitation of cedars for construction was one of the causes of the disappearance of the cedar forests in Lebanon and S Turkey throughout the ages.     

A mechanism for the production of light and dark contrasts in radiatively controlled lines

It is argued that visible contrasts can arise even in a line that is controlled wholly by an external radiation field. Lateral differences in the local shapes of the line absorption profile are shown to account for such contrasts. Two cases are treated explicitly: (a) a profile locally broadened by mass flow, and (b) a profile locally narrower due to the suppression of turbulent velocities, as might result from the presence of magnetic fields.On leave of absence from Tel Aviv University, Department of Physics and Astronomy.     

An Acetic Acid‐Based Extraction Protocol for the Recovery of U,Th and Pb from Calcium Carbonates for U‐(Th)‐Pb Geochronology

A new method for the simultaneous recovery of U, Th and Pb from ca. 0.5 g calcium carbonate samples for the purpose of U‐(Th)‐Pb geochronometry is presented. The protocol employs ion‐exchange chromatography. Standard anion exchange resin (AG 1‐X8 100–200 mesh) was used as the static phase, and 90% acetic acid was used as the mobile phase to elute the unwanted matrix components; dilute nitric acid was used to elute the U, Th and Pb. Blanks of 1.8 pg Th, 6.4 pg Pb and 8.4 pg U were obtained. The protocol was evaluated by determining the isotopic composition of U‐Th‐Pb separates obtained from an in‐house reference material (prepared from a natural speleothem) by MC‐ICP‐MS. An independently dated speleothem was also reanalysed. Based on these tests, the extraction protocol had an acceptable blank and produced a Pb separate sufficiently free of matrix‐induced instrumental biases to be appropriate for U‐Th‐Pb chronology.     

In-phase anomalies in Beryllium-10 production and palaeomagnetic field behaviour during the Iceland Basin geomagnetic excursion

Increases in the production rate of cosmogenic radionuclides associated with geomagnetic excursions have been used as global tie-points for correlation between records of past climate from marine and terrestrial archives. We have investigated the relative timing of variations in ¹⁰Be production rate and the corresponding palaeomagnetic signal during one of the largest Pleistocene excursions, the Iceland Basin (IB) event (ca. 190 kyr), as recorded in two marine sediment cores (ODP Sites 1063 and 983) with high sedimentation rates. Variations in ¹⁰Be production rate during the excursion were estimated by use of ²³⁰Th_xs normalized ¹⁰Be deposition rates and authigenic ¹⁰Be/⁹Be. Resulting ¹⁰Be production rates are compared with high-resolution records of geomagnetic field behaviour acquired from the same discrete samples. We find no evidence for a significant lock-in depth of the palaeomagnetic signal in these high sedimentation-rate cores. Apparent lock-in depths in other cores may sometimes be the result of lower sample resolution. Our results also indicate that the period of increased ¹⁰Be production during the IB excursion lasted longer and, most likely, started earlier than the corresponding palaeomagnetic anomaly, in accordance with previous observations that polarity transitions occur after periods of reduced geomagnetic field intensity prior to the transition. The lack of evidence in this study for a significant palaeomagnetic lock-in depth suggests that there is no systematic offset between the ¹⁰Be signal and palaeomagnetic anomalies associated with excursions and reversals, with significance for the global correlation of climate records from different archives.     

The geochronology of Iqna Granite (wadi Kid pluton), Southern Sinai

The wadi Kid pluton of Iqna Granite, Southern Sinai, which was intruded during the last Precambrian magmatic phase, yields a Rb-Sr total rock isocrhon age of 580±23 m.y., and an initial ⁸⁷Sr/ ⁸⁶Sr ratio of 0.7028±0.0028. The magma of the Iqna Granite was derived from a low Rb/Sr source shortly before its crystallization. Partial resetting of biotite ages is detected by both Rb-Sr and K-Ar methods. Mineral isochrons yield higher initial values (0.7045–0.7065) as a result of Sr isotopic redistribution within a closed total rock system. The Rb-Sr resetting of the biotites is expressed by radiogenic Sr loss accompanied by a proportional enrichment of common Sr. The Rb content was unaffected by this process. Oxidation of the iron within the biotite indicates the opening of the biotite interlayer space, thus making the Sr exchange possible. These effects are attributed to a thermal event some 510–540 m.y. ago.