Event ZT2 was identified in Trench T2 at Ghor Khabed, a pull-apart system on the Jordan Valley Fault. The trench was excavated across the western fault section of the Ghor Khabed depression, where late Pleistocene Lisan deposits, Damya formation sediments, and Holocene pull-apart deposits are affected by faulting within a broad shear zone approximately 2.5 m wide.
The event evidence consists of several fault branches, or fault splays, that affect finely laminated unit b2, unit b1, and possibly units c, d, and e. According to Ferry et al. (2011:49), the fault splays terminate at the base of unit a, indicating that faulting occurred prior to deposition of the uppermost soil horizon. The ruptures are distributed across the shear zone and represent the youngest surface-breaking deformation recognized in Trench T2, displacing older lacustrine and clastic units.
The chronology of Event ZT2 is constrained by unit b1, which has been radiocarbon dated using a charcoal sample ( Ka-T2-1N) to a calibrated date of 560–660 CE. Because Event ZT2 cuts unit b1, the earthquake must postdate that interval. The fault splays terminate beneath unit a and therefore predate the final burial of the deformation zone by the modern soil. Since the upper soil horizon was dated to 1490–1800 CE in nearby Ghor Khabed Trench T1, Event ZT2 can likely be constrained to between 560 and 1800 CE. Moreover, it is probable that Event ZT2 in Trench T2 and Event ZT1 in Trench T1 were caused by the same earthquake. Ferry et al. (2011) suggest that the event Event ZT2 may correlate with the mid-8th century CE earthquakes and possibly the 1033/4 CE Palestine earthquake(s). It could also correlate with the 659/660 CE Jordan Valley earthquake(s).
- Fig. 3C Location Map of the
Ghor Khabed Site from Ferry et al. (2011)
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.
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Ferry et al. (2011)- Fig. 5E Stratigraphic Correlation
between Ghor Khabed and Tell Saidiyeh Trenches from Ferry et al. (2011)
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.
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Ferry et al. (2011)- Table 1 Radiocarbon Table
from Ferry et al. (2011)
Radiocarbon Dating of Samples Collected in Trenches T1 and T2 (Ghor Kabed Site) and T3 and T4 (Tell Saidiyeh Site)
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Ferry et al. (2011)- Fig. 4D Main Shear Zone in
Trench T2, Ghor Kabed from Ferry et al. (2011)
Main shear zone in trench T2 affecting Lisan (massive clay) and Damya (clastic) units. Thin lines are stratigraphic contacts, thick lines are faults, and dashed lines mark the bottom of the trench
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Ferry et al. (2011)Fig. 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.
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Ferry et al (2011)
