The Dead Sea fault is the most conspicuous and active geological feature in the Middle East. This unique and fragile ecosystem is located in a large evolving tectonic structure, which is seismically active. As such, it affects the daily lives of those living in the surrounding areas (Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestinian Authority, Israel as well as Saudi Arabia and Egypt). Founded in 1991, the Dead Sea Research Center's objective is on focusing and managing all research being conducted in the area of the Dead Sea fault under one roof and to act as a Regional Data Center. Through it's activities, the Center aims at understanding the man-made and natural processes along the fault in order to advance and actively effect public awareness and decision policies. Of special interest to the Center, is the Dead Sea Basin.
Collaboration between Israeli, German, American, Jordanian and Palestinian scientists and graduate students from different fields is encouraged in areas of geophysics and geology, neotectonics, seismology and natural hazards, archeology and atmospheric sciences. A list of recent research can be found on this site. The Center is funded by the Minerva Foundation, Germany and headed by Professor Zvi Ben-Avraham.
In addition to the research activities, the funds of the Center are used to organize conferences, seminars and workshops of a collaborative nature with scientists from the international community.
Research at the center is multi-diciplinary and deals with all aspects of the Dead Sea fault - from the Gulf of Elat, the Carmel Fault, the Golan Heights, the Israeli Coast, through Cyprus and Turkey.