Recovering the world's longest earthquake record from the Dead Sea core
Sediment cores from the Dead Sea (see the ICDP report)
provide us with an unprecedented opportunity to extract information on
the long-term temporal distribution of earthquakes in the Dead Sea
region through observations on earthquake-triggered deformation (aka
seismites). By comparison with data from outcrops we will learn how the
seismites vary in shape and fabric within the basin and how different
types of sediments affect the shape, the chemistry and the mineralogy
of the seismites. Correlation with other datasets will reveal how
changes in lake levels affect earthquake occurrence and whether and how
the Dead Sea Fault is coupled with adjacent plate boundaries.
The project is carried out under the auspices of the ICDP. Click here for more details.
During June 2011 the cores were opened in the Potsdam GFZ. See pictures below.
