According to Boyer in Lichtenberger and Raja (2025:30), a seismically induced landslide in the hills northwest of Jerash (site JWP115) detached a section of hillside carrying the north-west aqueduct “JW01”, one of the city’s earliest and most important supply lines. As the detached bedrock slab moved, the entire aqueduct segment was carried downslope. The displaced block was transported roughly 40 m downslope, and its rotation reversed the original aqueduct gradient, rendering the conduit inoperable. Charcoal embedded in the youngest plaster lining the same aqueduct’s specus downstream at site JWP128 indicates a broad early 2nd to early 4th century CE date for the landslide.

Figure 2.15a - Landslide at site JWP 115. Aerial view, looking south, showing the bedrock slab containing a section of aqueduct JW01 displaced from the outcrop upslope to the south - (APAAME_20170927_DDB-0156, photo by author) - Click on image to open in a new tab - Boyer in Lichtenberger and Raja (2025)