In the Taybeh Trench, excavated across the Arava Fault, Lefevre et al. (2018) identify Event E10 as one of the early ruptures in the trench sequence, preserved near the transition between basal coarse deposits and overlying channelized units. The event horizon is located at the top of layer B2, a unit of indurated fine to medium sand with interbedded gravels, where deformation is expressed through a distributed set of cracks observed across both the eastern and western portions of the trench. Unlike E11, which is confined to a coarse conglomerate, E10 is recorded in a somewhat finer-grained unit, allowing clearer identification of the event horizon across the trench. At M2, a small but distinct vertical displacement is observed and attributed to this event, while elsewhere deformation is primarily expressed as cracks without visible offset. The lack of consistent measurable displacement across the trench is likely due to the presence of overlying channelized deposits (unit Cu1), which are erosive and have truncated or obscured the upper terminations of many fractures.

The structural expression of E10 is therefore more laterally extensive than E11 but still relatively subtle. The presence of cracks across both sides of the trench indicates that the rupture affected a broad zone, consistent with surface faulting along a strike-slip system. However, as is typical in fault-perpendicular trench exposures, direct evidence of lateral displacement remains elusive, and deformation is instead manifested through vertical offsets and fracture networks. The observed small vertical displacement at M2, combined with widespread cracking, suggests a component of localized vertical motion superimposed on dominant strike-slip deformation. This pattern is consistent with the broader tectonic setting of the Taybeh site, where deformation reflects a combination of strike-slip motion and variable vertical components influenced by nearby structural complexities. From a depositional perspective, the occurrence of E10 at the top of layer B2 marks a transition from relatively continuous sedimentation to more dynamic channelized deposition in the overlying units. The erosive nature of these channel deposits has significantly impacted the preservation of the event, removing parts of the deformation record and contributing to the discontinuous expression of displacement. As a result, E10 is better identified through the spatial coherence of crack terminations than through clear offset stratigraphy.

Chronologically, E10 is poorly constrained. Based on Bayesian modeling of radiocarbon dating of detrital charcoal samples from layers bracketing the event horizon, Lefevre et al. (2018) place E10 broadly between approximately 4600 and 4000 BCE ( 2σ). This wide interval reflects the limited number of datable samples associated with the bounding units, as well as the influence of erosional channel processes that complicate the stratigraphic framework and reduce the precision of chronological constraints.

Figure 1 - (a) Detailed log of the southern wall of the trench. Units are differentiated according to facies. White dots indicate locations of ¹⁴C samples collected from both walls (the samples collected from the northern wall are represented at a stratigraphically and structurally equivalent location on the southern wall log). - Click on image to open in a new tab - LeFevre et al (2018)