Deformation Layer 4 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 ~10 cm thick and consists of fine sand deposited in a near-shore fan-delta setting. The principal deformation features are ball-and-pillow structures of Sims (1975) and Allen (1984), cycloides of Hempton and Dewey (1983), and elliptical pseudo nodules, indicating deformation within saturated sediment. The features are interpreted as due to earthquake-induced liquefaction. Tectonically, Deformation Layer 4 is part of the cluster of closely spaced deformed beds (Layers 3–5) identified in the Nahal Darga sequence. The close vertical spacing of these layers suggests a temporal clustering of earthquakes rather than a regular recurrence pattern. Dating is based on radiocarbon dating and stratigraphic correlation within the fan-delta sequence; Bayesian modeling was not used in the age determinations.

Fig. 5C - Deformations 4 (lower) and 5 (upper, with the scale) (Table 2) are separated by a thin undeformed bed. The stratigraphy at left of the photograph indicates that deposition prior to the second deformation was thicker than this thin undeformed bed. - The comparison between 5C and 5D indicates that the gravel in D was deposited much later than the deformation. - click on image to open in a new tab - Enzel et al (2000)