Event Z_T4 was identified in Trench T4 at Tell Saidiyeh, a site situated along the Jordan Valley Fault. Unlike the purpose-excavated Trench T3, Trench T4 originated as a cut made during agricultural leveling works and trends northwest–southeast, oblique to the fault trace. The exposure was subsequently widened and cleaned by Ferry et al. (2011). The trench exposes a well-developed fault zone affecting both late Pleistocene and Holocene deposits. Because the trench is oriented approximately 45° to the fault, the deformation zone appears wider than in a perpendicular exposure and provides an unusually detailed record of repeated surface ruptures.

The evidence for Event Z_T4 consists of three major fault splays, designated FZ1, FZ3, and FZ4, that rupture almost the entire stratigraphic sequence exposed in the trench. According to Ferry et al. (2011:54), these splays extend upward to within approximately 20–30 cm of the present ground surface. The clearest measurable displacement occurs on FZ3, where vertical offset reaches about 5 cm. The rupture does not cut the shallowest units b and c, demonstrating that faulting ceased before their deposition. Event Z_T4 is interpreted as the youngest clearly identified surface-rupturing earthquake preserved in Trench T4.

The chronology of Event Z_T4 is constrained by its occurrence after deposition of unit d and before deposition of unit c. Ferry et al. (2011:54) report a nominal age bracket of 87–1920 CE for the event. However, the lower bound is derived from a snail-shell date that appears significantly older than the surrounding sediments. Ferry et al. therefore consider the event more likely to have occurred substantially later, probably after about 500 CE. Based on this interpretation, they correlate Event Z_T4 with one or both of the major historical earthquakes known to have affected the Jordan Valley, namely the 749 CE earthquake and the 1033/4 CE earthquake. The 659/660 CE Jordan Valley earthquake(s) is also a plausible candidate. They conclude that the available radiocarbon evidence alone cannot distinguish between these candidates and cannot determine whether the trench records rupture from one of these earthquakes or from both events combined into a single stratigraphic expression.

An alternative interpretation discussed by Ferry et al. (2011:54) is that unit c exhibits approximately 25 cm of warping across the main fault zone and that unit b thickens downslope in a manner resembling a colluvial wedge. If these features are coseismic, they may instead record a more recent earthquake, possibly the 1927 Jericho earthquake. This interpretation is further supported by a possible modern fissure-fill feature exposed on the northwestern side of Trench T4, where it appears to be associated with fault splay FZ1. Consequently, although Event Z_T4 clearly represents the most recent surface rupture preserved in the trench, its precise correlation with a specific historical earthquake remains uncertain.

• Fig. 3b Location Map of the
  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 (Q_to) 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 Q_to 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. Solid rectangles represent trenches T3 and T4, which display faulting evidence for the last 17 ka. Blanked areas could not be surveyed because of the presence of agricultural and military facilities.
  
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  Ferry et al. (2011)
  Tell Saidiyeh Site from Ferry et al. (2011)
• Fig. 5E Stratigraphic Correlation
  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.
  
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  Ferry et al. (2011)
  between Ghor Khabed and Tell Saidiyeh Trenches from Ferry et al. (2011)
• Table 1 Radiocarbon Table
  Table 1
  
  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)
  from Ferry et al. (2011)
• Fig. 4a Oblique view of trench
  Fig. 4a
  
  Oblique view of trench T4 showing Lisan units affected by faulting and liquefaction in the foreground and sand and silt units in the background
  
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  Ferry et al. (2011)
  T4 showing Lisan units affected by faulting and liquefaction from Ferry et al. (2011)
• Fig. 4b Main Shear Zone of trench
  Fig. 4b
  
  The main shear zone [of Trench T4) is outlined by a 1-cm-thick layer of crushed sand (thick lines) and displays numerous oriented pebbles.
  
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  Ferry et al. (2011)
  T4 from Ferry et al. (2011)

Fig. 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.

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Ferry et al (2011)