Towards a synoptic interpretation of the gravity field in the Dead Sea Rift Basin

Abstract

We report on the deep structure of the Dead Sea Transform (DST) as derived from geophysical observations and numerical modelling, calibrated by geological and geodynamic evidence. The DST, which forms one of the world's largest pull‐apart basins (120 kilometers long, 20 kilometers wide, and about 10 kilometers deep), is a system of left‐lateral strike‐slip faults that accommodates about 105 kilometers of relative motion between the African and Arabian plates. To study the DST in places where it is easily accessible, the DESIRE project area (Dead Sea Integrated REsearch project, e.g. (Weber et al., 2009) focused on the Dead Sea Basin.