Internal structure of the Dead Sea leaky transform (rift) in relation to plate kinematics

Neotectonics of Turkey – a synthesis

https://www.utdallas.edu/~rjstern/egypt/PDFs/Cenozoic%20Red%20Sea/BosworthRedSeaJAES05.pdf

The Red Sea and Gulf of Aden Basins

Active faulting in the dead sea rift

Analysis of the geologic and geophysical data from the western and northern margin of the Arabian plate combined with data from the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden leads to an interpretation of Arabian plate motion that supports an episodic extensional history in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Phase 1 extension began in medial to late Eocene and was caused by the NW propagation of the reoriented Central Indian Ridge spreading center. It stretched and thinned continental crust along numerous wrench and normal faults that reactivated preexisting structures. First-phase extension stopped when the Arabian plate terminally sutured to Eurasia in the medial Miocene and halted northward movement of Arabia relative to Africa. The combined African/Arabian plates moved north more slowly, constricting and thickening continental crust in the Bitlis/Zagros sutures while the Red Sea remained technically quiescent and accumulated salt. By the early Pliocene, continued northward movement was accommodated by lateral extrusion of large continental wedges north of the Bitlis/Zagros sutures. This allowed Arabia to move northward faster than Africa and reopen the Red Sea where phase 2 extension was expressed by seafloor spreading. Extension within the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden rift system has been controlled by the interactions and effects of two factors: (1) convergent processes between the north margin of the Arabian plate and the Eurasian plate to the north and (2) northwest propagation of extension associated with the medial Eocene reorganization of the Central Indian spreading center.

Constraints on Arabian Plate motion and extensional history of the Red Sea

Recent surface and subsurface geological investigations in Israel and Jordan provide new data for the re-examination of Dubertret’s (1932) hypothesis of the left-hand shear along the Dead Sea rift. It is found that while none of the pre-Tertiary sedimentary or igneous rock units extend right across the rift, all of them resume a reasonable palaeographical configuration once the east side of the rift is placed 105 km south of its present position. It is therefore concluded that the 105 km post-Cretaceous, left-hand shear along the Dead Sea rift is well established. The 40 to 45 km offset of Miocene rocks and smaller offsets of younger features indicate an average shear movement rate of 0.4 to 0.6 cm a -1 during the last 7 to 10 Ma. Unfortunately, the 60 km pre-Miocene movement cannot be dated yet. Along the Arava and Gulf of Aqaba and in Lebanon the shear is divided over a wide fault zone within and outside the rift.

A discussion on the structure and evolution of the Red Sea and the nature of the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Ethiopia rift junction - The shear along the Dead Sea rift

M. Goldberg

Papers

A discussion on the structure and evolution of the Red Sea and the nature of the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Ethiopia rift junction - The shear along the Dead Sea rift