Panitz-Cohen and Mazar in Mazar et al. (2020 v.2:123–124) report “heavy destruction” and fire in the central part of Area C in Stratum V. Archaeoseismic evidence includes collapsed and tilted walls, fallen ceilings, broken pottery (some apparently in fallen position), and thick debris accumulations. Although earlier studies ( Bruins, van der Plicht and Mazar, 2003a; 2003b) suggested attribution to Sheshonq I's invasion in ca. 925 BCE, a paleomagnetic study of two tilted mudbrick walls by Ben-Yosef and Ron in Mazar et al. (2020 v.5) demonstrated that the walls tilted before the fire struck the site, not after. This sequencing effectively rules out the possibility that an earthquake tilted the walls long after an invasion fire. Instead, the fire likely followed seismic damage. The event is dated to the late 10th to early 9th century BCE.

As with the earlier Stratum VI event, there are indications of vertical shaking. A symmetrical anticline with an east–west fold axis is visible in Area C in Buildings CM and CE. Similar folding appears near Building CF and in Wall 7803 of Room 7837 in Area D ( Rotem, Sumaka’i Fink, and Mazar in Mazar et al., 2020 v.3). Ben-Yosef and Ron (2020 v.5:670) measured wall dips of 18 degrees. Additional brick debris consistent with collapse was recorded in Area E. The anticlinal folding suggests upward vertical forces during this event. This raises the possibility that one or more of the active faults mapped beneath the tel slipped during the earthquake, or that the site lay within the near-field of the event. Active faults beneath Tel Reḥov were identified through seismic surveys and are discussed in Zilberman in Mazar et al. (2020 v.1). As noted elsewhere, Panitz-Cohen and Mazar (2020 v.2:187) observed “a tilt from west to east/ southeast” in “all strata at Tel Rehov,” reflecting site-wide structural tilting. Although the final report notes that the most severely damaged structures were aligned along a north–south belt in Area C, examination of Areas D and E suggests broader archaeoseismic evidence. The axis of deformation in Area C appears to run east–west, consistent with localized vertical uplift that could coincide with mapped subsurface faults. Local intensity was probably high, on the order of VIII (8) or greater.

Dating rests on ceramic evidence and radiocarbon determinations. Area C preserves a complete Iron Age II stratigraphy, strengthening chronological control, although Iron Age II chronology remains debated. The damaged buildings were constructed entirely of mudbrick with wood beam foundations, introducing the likelihood of a construction-related site effect that may have amplified structural damage during seismic shaking.