Tell Saidiyeh and Ghor Kabed Trenches
- Fault segments in the Jordan Valley
from Ferry et al. (2011)
Figure 1b
Detailed map of the JVF (Jordan Valley Fault) segment between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. The segment itself is organized as six 15-km to 30-km-long right-stepping sub segments limited by 2 km to 3 km wide transpressive relay zones. The active trace of the JVF (Jordan Valley Fault) continues for a further ~10 km northward into the Sea of Galilee (SG) and ~20 km southward into the northern Dead Sea (DS).
Ferry et al. (2011) - Geomorphology of the Jordan Valley fault
from Ferry et al. (2011)
Figure 3a
Geomorphology of the Jordan Valley fault
Central section of the JVF (Jordan Valley Fault) (see location on Fig. 1b), showing drainage (outlined) that is systematically left-laterally displaced at the passage of the fault. The active trace of the JVF (Jordan Valley Fault) is pointed out by the arrows.
Ferry et al (2011)
- Fault segments in the Jordan Valley
from Ferry et al. (2011)
Figure 1b
Detailed map of the JVF (Jordan Valley Fault) segment between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. The segment itself is organized as six 15-km to 30-km-long right-stepping sub segments limited by 2 km to 3 km wide transpressive relay zones. The active trace of the JVF (Jordan Valley Fault) continues for a further ~10 km northward into the Sea of Galilee (SG) and ~20 km southward into the northern Dead Sea (DS).
Ferry et al. (2011) - Geomorphology of the Jordan Valley fault
from Ferry et al. (2011)
Figure 3a
Geomorphology of the Jordan Valley fault
Central section of the JVF (Jordan Valley Fault) (see location on Fig. 1b), showing drainage (outlined) that is systematically left-laterally displaced at the passage of the fault. The active trace of the JVF (Jordan Valley Fault) is pointed out by the arrows.
Ferry et al (2011)
- Tell Saidiyeh Trenches in Google Earth
Tell Saidiyeh Trenches
- Yellow line - Trench T-3 (to the south - bottom of image)
- Yellow line - Trench T-4 (to the north - top of image)
click on image to explore this site on a new tab in Google Earth - Ghor Kabed Trenches in Google Earth
Ghor Kabed Trenches
- Yellow line - Trench T-1 (to the south - bottom of image)
- Yellow line - Trench T-2 (to the north - top of image)
click on image to explore this site on a new tab in Google Earth
Figure 3c
Geomorphology of the Ghor Kabed site from a high-resolution total station topographic survey. The eastern fault strand shows a linear and continuous geometry with a gentle slope (the steep slope visible to the north is artificial), while the western strand displays a steeper slope and a left-step geometry. Two trenches were excavated at that site: T1 on the central strand north of the depression, and T2 on the eastern strand southeast of the depression (see logs in Fig. 5). Height curve spacing is 0.25 m.
Ferry et al (2011)
Figure 5a
Trench T1 shows a distributed pattern of vertical faults that may be resolved within the uppermost layers but cannot be followed through massive clay units of Lisan age. Radiocarbon dates suggest the most recent event occurred before A.D. 1490-1800.
Ferry et al (2011)
Figure 5b
Trench T2 displays a main fault zone filled with breccia that have been ruptured afterward and documents the most recent event, radiocarbon dated after A.D. 560-660. Combined, these observations suggest two surface-rupturing events occurred at Ghor Kabed between A.D. 560 and A.D. 1800, which may be related to the A.D. 749 and A.D. 1033 events.
Ferry et al (2011)
Figure 3b
Geomorphology of the Tell Saidiyeh site from a high-resolution total station topographic survey (contour spacing 0.5 m). South of the archaeological tell (located —100 m to the north, see inset in Fig. 8b), the morphology displays a recent terrace strath (Qto) affected and left-laterally displaced by the fault. The southern edges (dashed lines) of streams serve as piercing points because they are less likely to be eroded than the northern ones in a left-lateral setting. Stream El flows westward along the southern edge of Qto and is displaced by 7 ± 0.5 m across the fault. Stream W2 is a beheaded remnant of El and displays 114 ± 5 m of offset. A minimum emplacement age of 22 ka for W2 yields an average slip rate of 4.9 mm/yr for that period (see text for details). Solid rectangles represent trenches T3 and T4 (see text for descriptions), which display faulting evidence for the last 17 ka. Blanked areas could not be surveyed due to the presence of agricultural and military facilities.
Ferry et al (2011)
Figure 5c
The exposure of T3 is mainly composed of Lisan sediments. A series of fine-gained colluvial and alluvial units overlays Lisan clays and provides insight on recent events.
Ferry et al (2011)
Figure 5d
Trench T4 is originally a road cut that was noticeably extended and cleaned. It is oriented 45° to the fault, which widens the deformation zone. This exposure provides the bulk of the paleoseismic dataset. See text for details.
Ferry et al (2011)
Figure 5e
Correlations of stratigraphic sections of trenches. The geological formations of Lisan and Damya are common basement-bottom units for trenches. Erosion processes (tilde lines) have major effects on soft sediments, and Trench T3 shows a significant hiatus of the Damya formation. The correlation between alluvial and lacustrine deposits and the related radiocarbon dating (see also Table 1 and Fig. 7) illustrate the different recent depositional environments at trench sites.
Ferry et al (2011)
Figure 7
Distribution of radiocarbon dates used in trenches 1-4 with inferred events, known historical earthquakes, and inferred archaeoseismic events. Gray boxes indicate depositional hiatuses where no date could be determined. All dates given herein and in Table 1 correspond to 2σ (95.4%) intervals on these probability density functions (pdf). Event pdfs are modeled for a Gaussian distribution on the basis of inferred uncertainties defined in Table 3.
Ferry et al (2011)
Source: Ferry et al (2011)
Ghor Kabed
In trench T1 (Fig. 5a), ruptures are distributed over the section east of the main fault zone (Fig. 4e) and affect Lisan and Damya deposits. All upward fault terminations correspond to the base of the present-day plow unit (unit a) and do not show clear indications for a chronology. However, at the contact between Lisan/Damya and Holocene deposits,the faulted units correspond to a narrow fissure filled by pieces of unit b. Unit a, which covers the shear zone and corresponds to an organic soil, has been dated at A.D. 1490–1800, postdating the most recent faulting event ZT1, which possibly corresponds to the A.D. 749 or the A.D. 1033 earthquakes.
| Image | Description | Source |
|---|---|---|
|
Figure 5a Trench T1 shows a distributed pattern of vertical faults that may be resolved within the uppermost layers but cannot be followed through massive clay units of Lisan age. Radiocarbon dates suggest the most recent event occurred before A.D. 1490-1800. Ferry et al (2011) |
T1 Trench Log Ghor Khabed |
Ferry et al (2011) Fig. 5a |
Figure 4eMain shear zone in trench T1. Ferry et al (2011) |
Photo of main fault zone in T1 Trench Ghor Khabed |
Ferry et al (2011) Fig. 4e |
Event ZT2: The most recent event observed in trench T2 is associated with surface ruptures that affect finely laminated unit b2, unit b1, and possibly c, d, and e with fault splays terminating at the base of the top unit a. This event is necessarily younger than unit b1, radiocarbon-dated A.D. 560–660, and may be associated with the historical A.D. 749 earthquake and/or the A.D. 1033 earthquake.
Event YT2: The event is attested by the formation of a 1.5-m-wide flower structure filled with breccia (b1) and stratified silty clay (unit b2). In case unit b1 is a fissure fill, the event would have taken place shortly before the deposition of unit b1 (i.e., shortly before A.D. 560–660). However, if unit b1 is composed of preexisting layers affected by this event, it may then have occurred after the deposition of unit b1, which would naturally point to the A.D. 749 earthquake. In that latter case, event ZT2 would correspond to the A.D.1033 earthquake.
| Image | Description | Source |
|---|---|---|
|
Figure 5b Trench T2 displays a main fault zone filled with breccia that have been ruptured afterward and documents the most recent event, radiocarbon dated after A.D. 560-660. Combined, these observations suggest two surface-rupturing events occurred at Ghor Kabed between A.D. 560 and A.D. 1800, which may be related to the A.D. 749 and A.D. 1033 events. Ferry et al (2011) |
T2 Trench Log Ghor Khabed |
Ferry et al (2011) Fig. 5b |
The burial of unit b1 and related shear zone by unit a in the two trenches (Fig. 5e) indicates a bracket of A.D. 560–1800 of the last two faulting movements in the pull-apart area. Our interpretation is that the two post-sixth century faulting events may be correlated with the A.D. 749 and 5 December 1033 large earthquakes in the Jordan Valley (Abou Karaki, 1987; Ambraseys and Jackson,1998).
| Image | Description | Source |
|---|---|---|
|
Figure 5e Correlations of stratigraphic sections of trenches. The geological formations of Lisan and Damya are common basement-bottom units for trenches. Erosion processes (tilde lines) have major effects on soft sediments, and Trench T3 shows a significant hiatus of the Damya formation. The correlation between alluvial and lacustrine deposits and the related radiocarbon dating (see also Table 1 and Fig. 7) illustrate the different recent depositional environments at trench sites. Ferry et al (2011) |
Stratigraphic Correlation between Trenches |
Ferry et al (2011) Fig. 5e |
Tell Saidiyeh
Event ZT3: This event affected unit e in two places, which are east and west of a large modern root (see Fig. 5c). The absence of unit e west of the two fault splays suggests that vertical displacement was larger than 15 cm on each splay. Event ZT3 has likely occurred shortly before the deposition of unit d dated A.D. 1490–1640 and probably corresponds to the A.D. 1033 earthquake.
Event YT3: The oldest event recognized in trench T3 is marked by the faulting of unit f, the oldest non-Lisan unit observed here. It has likely occurred between the deposition of units f and e. However, because event ZT3 cut through the whole thickness of unit e while event YT3 affects it partially, we assume that event YT3 occurred closer to the deposition of unit e and event ZT3 closer to the deposition of unit d.
[JW: Trench 3 only produced one reported and useful radiocarbon date - the one dating unit d to A.D. 1490–1640. Thus unit e and below are not dated - see Table 1]
| Image | Description | Source |
|---|---|---|
|
Figure 5c The exposure of T3 is mainly composed of Lisan sediments. A series of fine-gained colluvial and alluvial units overlays Lisan clays and provides insight on recent events. Ferry et al (2011) |
T3 Trench Log Tell Saidiyeh |
Ferry et al (2011) Fig. 5c |
Event ZT4: This most recent event is illustrated by three major splays (FZ1, FZ3, and FZ4) that affect the whole stratigraphic section up to 20–30 cm below the present-day surface. Vertical displacement can only be resolved on FZ3, where it reaches ~5 cm. That rupture does not affect the shallowest units b and c. It has likely occurred after the deposition of unit d and before the deposition of unit c, thus yielding a time window between A.D. 87 and A.D. 1920 (Table 1) and pleading for a historical event. Because the A.D. 87 lower bracket is based on a snail shell that is significantly older than the surrounding soil, we consider that the event occurred significantly closer to the upper bracket; that is, more likely after ~A.D. 500. However, from the available radiocarbon datings alone, it is not possible to decide if this exposed fault has experienced rupture in A.D. 749 or A.D. 1033 or both. Alternatively, one may argue that unit c (dated A.D. 1660–1950) exhibits noticeable warping across the main fault zone with an apparent vertical deformation of ~25 cm and that unit b thickens at the toe of the related scarplet into what may be a colluvial wedge. Age and dimensions of those features correspond to a recent MW ~ 6 earthquake, such as the 1927 Palestine earthquake. This interpretation is supported by the occurrence of a modern fissure fill unit in T3.
Event YT4: This event is interpreted from small (a few centimeters) displacements affecting units along FZ2. All units in the central section from m to e display minor offsets. Unit d caps the rupture and forms the event horizon. Event YT4 occurred between the deposition of units e and d and may be dated by samples Tbc-23 and Tbc-26 (Table 1). This yields a wide window of occurrence between 5060 B.C. and 1410 B.C.
| Image | Description | Source |
|---|---|---|
|
Figure 5d Trench T4 is originally a road cut that was noticeably extended and cleaned. It is oriented 45° to the fault, which widens the deformation zone. This exposure provides the bulk of the paleoseismic dataset. See text for details. Ferry et al (2011) |
T4 Trench Log Tell Saidiyeh |
Ferry et al (2011) Fig. 5d |