In the Taybeh Trench, excavated across the Arava Fault, Lefevre et al. (2018) identify Event E3 bis (also referred to as E3supp) as a secondary rupture occurring shortly after the major deformation associated with E3. The event is preserved within an erosive channel unit deposited on top of the scarp created by E3, and is defined by a series of cracks that terminate at the base of layer L. Unlike E3, which is characterized by large and laterally continuous displacement, E3bis is expressed through a more limited set of fractures. These cracks are observed near M8 and M4 within a channelized deposit that cuts into the earlier E3 scarp. The stratigraphic position of this unit clearly indicates that E3bis postdates E3, as deformation is confined to sediments that accumulated after the major rupture event.

The structural expression of E3bis is therefore moderate but distinct. The consistent upward termination of cracks at the base of layer L provides a clear event horizon, even though the magnitude of displacement is smaller than that observed for E3. As with other trench observations across strike-slip systems, lateral motion is not directly visible, and the recorded deformation reflects a vertical component of slip expressed through fracture networks and localized offset. From a tectonic perspective, E3bis likely represents either a smaller independent earthquake or an aftershock-related rupture associated with the broader seismic episode represented by E3. The occurrence of this event within an erosive channel unit suggests that fault activity continued during a period of active sediment reworking, with deformation superimposed on a dynamically evolving landscape. From a depositional standpoint, E3bis is closely linked to the post-E3 landscape evolution. The channel unit in which it is preserved erodes into the earlier scarp, indicating a phase of incision and sediment redistribution following the major rupture. The preservation of cracks within this unit suggests that deformation occurred soon after deposition, before subsequent sedimentation buried and stabilized the surface.

Chronologically, E3bis is poorly constrained. Based on Bayesian modeling of radiocarbon dating of detrital charcoal samples from bounding units, Lefevre et al. (2018) place the event between approximately 819 and 1395 CE ( 2σ).

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)