Patterns of seismic sequences in the Levant—interpretation of historical seismicity

Abstract

There are historical accounts of about a hundred damaging earthquakes that occurred during the last two millennia in the Levant, in and around the Dead Sea fault system, and about half of which were associated with additional felt shocks. Several modes of earthquake sequences can be distinguished in them: (a) In 46 accounts, only one single event is noted. These are not known from tectonic settings similar to that of the Levant, and may just be a result of incomplete reporting. (b) In four cases, quakes preceded the mainshock by minutes, hours, and up to several weeks—possibly foreshocks. (c) Thirty-five mainshock–aftershock sequences were noted, lasting hours, days, weeks, months, and even more than a year; four of these also have foreshocks. No typical delay time was recognized for the largest or most significant aftershocks: they appeared up to several months later. (d) Six of the reported mainshock–aftershock sequences appeared in a “storm.” Another 13 sequences are insufficient to specify further.