Deformation Layer 3 at Nahal Darga occurs in stratigraphic unit 6 and is dated by Enzel et al. (2000) to ca. 6050 BCE (ca. 8000 yr B.P.). The deformed bed is ~30 cm thick and consists primarily of fine to very fine sand deposited in a near-shore environment. Deformation features include "millimeter- to decimeter-scale pseudo dikes penetrating the lower contact of unit," " pseudo nodules and elliptical pseudo nodules (with axes of 6 and 18 cm) in isolated cycloides (Hempton and Dewey, 1983)," and ball-and-pillow structures with an 8 cm diameter, all indicating deformation within near-surface water-saturated sediments. Enzel et al. (2000) interpreted the features as due to earthquake-induced liquefaction. Tectonically, Deformation Layer 3 is part of a cluster of closely spaced deformed beds (Layers 3–5) within the stratigraphic sequence. This clustering suggests that multiple earthquakes may have occurred within a relatively short time interval, rather than being evenly spaced through time. Dating is based on radiocarbon dating and stratigraphic correlation within the fan-delta sequence; Bayesian modeling was not used in the age determinations.

Left - Fig. 6B - Dike-like structure of the underlying layer penetrating the overlying deformed bed (deformation 3, Table 2) - Right - Fig. 5B - Example of part of deformation 3 (Table 2) - click on image to open in a new tab - Enzel et al (2000)