Paleostress analysis of the Cretaceous rocks in the eastern margin of the Dead Sea transform, Jordan

This paper presents the first paleostress results from fault-slip data on Cretaceous limestone at the eastern rim of the Dead Sea transform (DST) in Jordan. Stress inversion of fault-slip data is performed using an improved right dieder method, followed by rotational optimization (Delvaux, TENSOR Program). The orientation of the principal stress axes (σ₁, σ₂ and σ₃) and the ratio of the principal stress differences () show two main paleostress fields marking two main stress regimes, strike-slip and extensional. The first is characterized by NNW–SSE compression and ENE–WSW extension and related to Middle Miocene-Recent sinistral movement along the Dead Sea transform and the opening of the Red Sea. The second paleostress field is a WNW–ESE compression and NNE–SSW extension restricted to the northern part of the investigated area. This stress field could be associated with the development of the Syrian Arc fold belt which started during the Turonian, or it may be due to an anticlockwise rotation of the first stress field.