HR: 0800h
AN: T51C-0693 [Abstracts]
TI: Magmatics within the Dead Sea transform valley (insights from magnetic data)
AU: * Rybakov, M
EM: rybakov@gii.co.il
AF: GII, Baal-Shem Tov st. 6, Lod, 71100, Israel
AB:
The DST – largest continental fissure- appears to be the single shear zone consisting of several en echelon right-
stepping faults, with the total sinistral displacement of about 105 km. Gravity data show obviously what the DST
locates along the interface between western block with high density oceanic (transition) crust and eastern
relatively light density continental crust. Assuming the interface as weakness zone the question is: Can the
weakness zone to serve as magma chamber during last ten million years?
To delineate and study the magmatic bodies the magnetic survey provides excellent opportunity. The water and
sedimentary strata are ‘transparent' and the magnetic anomalies are caused meanly by local magmatic features.
Generally the regional magnetic maps are maps of basic magmatics – outcropped and concealed.
New high-resolution aeromagnetic surveys covered the southern Arava valley and the western Dead Sea area
provided the valuable data to better understanding of the tectonic pattern and distribution of magmatics within the
transform valley.
The main findings:
- presence of the rift-parallel magnetic lineaments corresponding to the active trace of the DST;
- lineament system extends NNE as an almost continuous trace over the study areas and shows the same
general azimuth of the magnetic lineament and of the segmented fault system as derived from the gravity,
geology and topography;
- the absence of any magnetic anomalies crossing the Arava Valley; all the local magnetic anomalies in the
eastern and western parts of the valley appear to be completely separated; only a lineament appears to separate
the local magnetic anomalies;
- strong magnetic anomalies suggest hitherto unknown subsurface magmatics.
Quantitative interpretation of the high accuracy detailed magnetic measurements allowed to localize the
magmatic bodies and to estimate reliable theirs depth. Comparing the results with seismic reflection and
geological data the belonging of magmatics located within the transform valley to corresponding magmatic event
can be defined as follow:
- Wide range of the prerift magmatic events (Precambrian and Phanerozoic intrusives);
- Magmatic events synchronic but doesn't associated with the DST (e.g. young basalt flows);
- Unrecognized magmatic bodies synchronic to the DST and associated probably with tectonic development of
the DST during movement along the main shear system. Such magmatics may mark the main deep penetrated
faults.
Last case will be thoroughly studied in future.
Magmatics are integral part of the Dead Sea transform structure and this knowledge has to be used in exploration
of groundwater, oil, earthquake hazard assessment and infrastructure projects, such as the Dead Sea-Red Sea
Canal
This study was supported by the Earth Sciences Administration of the Ministry of National Infrastructures of Israel
and the DESIRE project of the GeoForschungZentrum (Potsdam) and Kiel university.
DE: 8178 Tectonics and magmatism
SC: Tectonophysics [T]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting