The Elat fault (a segment of the Dead Sea Transform) runs along the
southern Arava valley (part of the Dead Sea Rift, Israel) forming
a complex fault zone that displays a time-dependent seismic behaviour.
Paleoseismic evidence shows that this fault zone has generated at
least 15 earthquakes of magnitude larger than M 6 during the late
Pleistocene and the Holocene. However, at present the Elat fault
is one of the quietest segments of the Dead Sea Transform, lacking
even microsesimicity. The last event detected in the southern Arava
valley occurred in the Avrona playa and was strong enough to have
deformed the playa and to change it from a closed basin with internal
drainage into an open basin draining to the south.Paleoseismological,
geophysical and archaeological evidences indicate that this event
was the historical devastating earthquake, which occurred in 1068
AD in the eastern Mediterranean region. According to the present
study this event was strong enough to rupture the surface, reactivate
at least two fault branches of the Elat fault and vertically displace
the surface and an early Islamic irrigation system by at least 1
m. In addition, the playa area was uplifted between 2.5 and 3 m along
the eastern part of the Elat fault shear zone. Such values are compatible
with an earthquake magnitude ranging between M 6.6 and 7. Since the
average recurrence interval of strong earthquakes during the Holocene
along the Elat fault is about 1.2+-0.3 ky and the last earthquake
occurred more about 1000 years ago, the possibility of a very strong
earthquake in this area in the future should be seriously considered
in assessing seismic hazards.
%0 Journal Article
%1 zilberman_etal:2005
%A Zilberman, E.
%A Amit, R.
%A Porat, N.
%A Enzel, Y.
%A Avner, U.
%D 2005
%J Tectonophysics
%K geophysics seismology
%N 1-4
%P 79--99
%R 10.1016/j.tecto.2005.05.030
%T Surface ruptures induced by the devastating 1068 AD earthquake in
the southern Arava valley, Dead Sea Rift, Israel
%U http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2005.05.030
%V 408
%X The Elat fault (a segment of the Dead Sea Transform) runs along the
southern Arava valley (part of the Dead Sea Rift, Israel) forming
a complex fault zone that displays a time-dependent seismic behaviour.
Paleoseismic evidence shows that this fault zone has generated at
least 15 earthquakes of magnitude larger than M 6 during the late
Pleistocene and the Holocene. However, at present the Elat fault
is one of the quietest segments of the Dead Sea Transform, lacking
even microsesimicity. The last event detected in the southern Arava
valley occurred in the Avrona playa and was strong enough to have
deformed the playa and to change it from a closed basin with internal
drainage into an open basin draining to the south.Paleoseismological,
geophysical and archaeological evidences indicate that this event
was the historical devastating earthquake, which occurred in 1068
AD in the eastern Mediterranean region. According to the present
study this event was strong enough to rupture the surface, reactivate
at least two fault branches of the Elat fault and vertically displace
the surface and an early Islamic irrigation system by at least 1
m. In addition, the playa area was uplifted between 2.5 and 3 m along
the eastern part of the Elat fault shear zone. Such values are compatible
with an earthquake magnitude ranging between M 6.6 and 7. Since the
average recurrence interval of strong earthquakes during the Holocene
along the Elat fault is about 1.2+-0.3 ky and the last earthquake
occurred more about 1000 years ago, the possibility of a very strong
earthquake in this area in the future should be seriously considered
in assessing seismic hazards.
@article{zilberman_etal:2005,
abstract = {The Elat fault (a segment of the Dead Sea Transform) runs along the
southern Arava valley (part of the Dead Sea Rift, Israel) forming
a complex fault zone that displays a time-dependent seismic behaviour.
Paleoseismic evidence shows that this fault zone has generated at
least 15 earthquakes of magnitude larger than M 6 during the late
Pleistocene and the Holocene. However, at present the Elat fault
is one of the quietest segments of the Dead Sea Transform, lacking
even microsesimicity. The last event detected in the southern Arava
valley occurred in the Avrona playa and was strong enough to have
deformed the playa and to change it from a closed basin with internal
drainage into an open basin draining to the south.Paleoseismological,
geophysical and archaeological evidences indicate that this event
was the historical devastating earthquake, which occurred in 1068
AD in the eastern Mediterranean region. According to the present
study this event was strong enough to rupture the surface, reactivate
at least two fault branches of the Elat fault and vertically displace
the surface and an early Islamic irrigation system by at least 1
m. In addition, the playa area was uplifted between 2.5 and 3 m along
the eastern part of the Elat fault shear zone. Such values are compatible
with an earthquake magnitude ranging between M 6.6 and 7. Since the
average recurrence interval of strong earthquakes during the Holocene
along the Elat fault is about 1.2+-0.3 ky and the last earthquake
occurred more about 1000 years ago, the possibility of a very strong
earthquake in this area in the future should be seriously considered
in assessing seismic hazards.},
added-at = {2012-09-01T13:08:21.000+0200},
author = {Zilberman, E. and Amit, R. and Porat, N. and Enzel, Y. and Avner, U.},
biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/27aa60ec80719466d31011eae1cc665c5/nilsma},
day = 28,
doi = {10.1016/j.tecto.2005.05.030},
interhash = {4a0e2df4e8be191753c3019d577abbd7},
intrahash = {7aa60ec80719466d31011eae1cc665c5},
issn = {00401951},
journal = {Tectonophysics},
keywords = {geophysics seismology},
month = oct,
number = {1-4},
pages = {79--99},
timestamp = {2021-02-09T13:22:57.000+0100},
title = {Surface ruptures induced by the devastating 1068 AD earthquake in
the southern Arava valley, Dead Sea Rift, Israel},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2005.05.030},
volume = 408,
year = 2005
}