@article{MohsenAschKindetal.2013, author = {Mohsen, Ayman and Asch, G{\"u}nter and Kind, Rainer and Mechie, James and Weber, Michael H.}, title = {The lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary in the eastern part of the Dead Sea Basin (DSB) from S-to-P receiver functions}, series = {Arabian journal of geosciences}, volume = {6}, journal = {Arabian journal of geosciences}, number = {7}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Heidelberg}, issn = {1866-7511}, doi = {10.1007/s12517-011-0503-4}, pages = {2343 -- 2350}, year = {2013}, abstract = {Clear S-to-P converted waves from the crust-mantle boundary (Moho) and lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB) have been observed on the eastern part of the Dead Sea Basin (DSB), and are used for the determination of the depth of the Moho and the LAB. A temporary network consisting of 18 seismic broad-band stations was operated in the DSB region as part of the DEad Sea Integrated REsearch project for 1.5 years beginning in September 2006. The obtained Moho depth (similar to 35 km) from S-to-P receiver functions agrees well with the results from P-to-S receiver functions and other geophysical data. The thickness of the lithosphere on the eastern part of the DSB is about 75 km. The results obtained here support and confirm previous studies, based on xenolith data, geodynamic modeling, heat flow observations, and S-to-P receiver functions. Therefore, the lithosphere on the eastern part of the DSB and along Wadi Araba has been thinned in the Late Cenozoic, following rifting and spreading of the Red Sea. The thinning of the lithosphere occurred without a concomitant change in the crustal thickness and thus an upwelling of the asthenosphere in the study area is invoked as the cause of the lithosphere thinning.}, language = {en} } @article{BraeuerAschHofstetteretal.2012, author = {Braeuer, B. and Asch, G{\"u}nter and Hofstetter, Rami and Haberland, Christian and Jaser, Darweesh and El-Kelani, Radwan J.. and Weber, Michael H.}, title = {Microseismicity distribution in the southern Dead Sea basin and its implications on the structure of the basin}, series = {Geophysical journal international}, volume = {188}, journal = {Geophysical journal international}, number = {3}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Malden}, issn = {0956-540X}, doi = {10.1111/j.1365-246X.2011.05318.x}, pages = {873 -- 878}, year = {2012}, abstract = {While the Dead Sea basin has been studied for a long time, the available knowledge about the detailed seismicity distribution in the area, as well as the deeper structure of the basin, is limited. Therefore, within the framework of the international project DESIRE (DEad Sea Integrated REsearch project), a dense temporary local seismological network was operated in the southern Dead Sea area. We use 530 local earthquakes, having all together 26 730 P- and S-arrival times for a simultaneous inversion of 1-D velocity models, station corrections and precise earthquake locations. Jackknife tests suggest an accuracy of the derived hypocentre locations of about 1 km. Thus, the result is the first clear image of the absolute distribution of the microseismicity of the area, especially in depth. The seismicity is concentrated in the upper crust down to 20 km depth while the lower limit of the seismicity is reached at 31 km depth. The seismic events at the eastern boundary fault (EBF) in the southern part of the study area represent the northward transform motion of the Arabian Plate along the Dead Sea Transform. North of the Boqeq fault the seismic activity represents the transfer of the motion in the pull-apart basin from the eastern to the western boundary. We find that from the surface downward the seismic events are tracing the boundary faults of the basin. The western boundary is mapped down to 12 km depth while the EBF reaches about 17 km depth, forming an asymmetric basin. One fifth of the data set is related to a specific cluster in time and space, which occurred in 2007 February at the western border fault. This cluster is aligned vertically, that is, it is perpendicular to the direction of the dominating left-lateral strike-slip movement at the main transform fault.}, language = {en} } @article{BraeuerAschHofstetteretal.2014, author = {Braeuer, Benjamin and Asch, G{\"u}nter and Hofstetter, Rami and Haberland, Christian and Jaser, D. and El-Kelani, R. and Weber, Michael H.}, title = {Detailed seismicity analysis revealing the dynamics of the southern Dead Sea area}, series = {Journal of seismology}, volume = {18}, journal = {Journal of seismology}, number = {4}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Dordrecht}, issn = {1383-4649}, doi = {10.1007/s10950-014-9441-4}, pages = {731 -- 748}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Within the framework of the international DESIRE (DEad Sea Integrated REsearch) project, a dense temporary local seismological network was operated in the southern Dead Sea area. During 18 recording months, 648 events were detected. Based on an already published tomography study clustering, focal mechanisms, statistics and the distribution of the microseismicity in relation to the velocity models from the tomography are analysed. The determined b value of 0.74 leads to a relatively high risk of large earthquakes compared to the moderate microseismic activity. The distribution of the seismicity indicates an asymmetric basin with a vertical strike-slip fault forming the eastern boundary of the basin, and an inclined western boundary, made up of strike-slip and normal faults. Furthermore, significant differences between the area north and south of the Bokek fault were observed. South of the Bokek fault, the western boundary is inactive while the entire seismicity occurs on the eastern boundary and below the basin-fill sediments. The largest events occurred here, and their focal mechanisms represent the northwards transform motion of the Arabian plate along the Dead Sea Transform. The vertical extension of the spatial and temporal cluster from February 2007 is interpreted as being related to the locking of the region around the Bokek fault. North of the Bokek fault similar seismic activity occurs on both boundaries most notably within the basin-fill sediments, displaying mainly small events with strike-slip mechanism and normal faulting in EW direction. Therefore, we suggest that the Bokek fault forms the border between the single transform fault and the pull-apart basin with two active border faults.}, language = {en} } @article{BraeuerAschHofstetteretal.2012, author = {Br{\"a}uer, B. and Asch, G{\"u}nter and Hofstetter, Rami and Haberland, Christian and Jaser, D. and El-Kelani, R. and Weber, Michael H.}, title = {High-resolution local earthquake tomography of the southern Dead Sea area}, series = {Geophysical journal international}, volume = {191}, journal = {Geophysical journal international}, number = {3}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {0956-540X}, doi = {10.1111/j.1365-246X.2012.05668.x}, pages = {881 -- 897}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Local earthquake data from a dense temporary seismological network in the southern Dead Sea area have been analysed within the project DESIRE (Dead Sea Integrated Research Project). Local earthquakes are used for the first precise image of the distribution of the P-wave velocity and the vP/vS ratios. 65 stations registered 655 local events within 18 months of observation time. A subset of 530 well-locatable events with 26 730 P- and S-arrival times was used to calculate a tomographic model for the vP and vP/vS distribution. Since the study area is at first-order 2-D, a gradual approach was chosen, which compromised a 2-D inversion followed by a 3-D inversion. The sedimentary basin fill is clearly imaged through high vP/vS ratios and low vP. The basin fill shows an asymmetric structure with average depth of 7 km at the western boundary and depth between 10 and 14 km at the eastern boundary. This asymmetry is reflected by the vertical strike-slip eastern border fault, and the normal faulting at the western boundary, caused by the transtensional deformation within the last 5 Myr. Within the basin fill the Lisan salt diapir is imaged through low vP/vS ratios, reflecting its low fluid content. The extensions were determined to 12 km in EW and 17 km in NS direction while its depth is 56 km. The thickness of the pre-basin sediments below the basin fill cannot be derived from the tomography datait is estimated to less than 3 km from former investigations. Below the basin, down to 18 km depth very low P-wave velocities and low vP/vS ratios are observedmost likely caused by fluids from the surrounding crust or the upper mantle.}, language = {en} } @article{MohsenAschMechieetal.2011, author = {Mohsen, Amjad and Asch, G{\"u}nter and Mechie, James and Kind, Rainer and Hofstetter, Rami and Weber, Michael H. and Stiller, M. and Abu-Ayyash, Khalil}, title = {Crustal structure of the Dead Sea Basin (DSB) from a receiver function analysis}, series = {Geophysical journal international}, volume = {184}, journal = {Geophysical journal international}, number = {1}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Malden}, issn = {0956-540X}, doi = {10.1111/j.1365-246X.2010.04853.x}, pages = {463 -- 476}, year = {2011}, abstract = {The Dead Sea Transform (DST) is a major left-lateral strike-slip fault that accommodates the relative motion between the African and Arabian plates, connecting a region of extension in the Red Sea to the Taurus collision zone in Turkey over a length of about 1100 km. The Dead Sea Basin (DSB) is one of the largest basins along the DST. The DSB is a morphotectonic depression along the DST, divided into a northern and a southern sub-basin, separated by the Lisan salt diapir. We report on a receiver function study of the crust within the multidisciplinary geophysical project, DEad Sea Integrated REsearch (DESIRE), to study the crustal structure of the DSB. A temporary seismic network was operated on both sides of the DSB between 2006 October and 2008 April. The aperture of the network is approximately 60 km in the E-W direction crossing the DSB on the Lisan peninsula and about 100 km in the N-S direction. Analysis of receiver functions from the DESIRE temporary network indicates that Moho depths vary between 30 and 38 km beneath the area. These Moho depth estimates are consistent with results of near-vertical incidence and wide-angle controlled-source techniques. Receiver functions reveal an additional discontinuity in the lower crust, but only in the DSB and west of it. This leads to the conclusion that the internal crustal structure east and west of the DSB is different at the present-day. However, if the 107 km left-lateral movement along the DST is taken into account, then the region beneath the DESIRE array where no lower crustal discontinuity is observed would have lain about 18 Ma ago immediately adjacent to the region under the previous DESERT array west of the DST where no lower crustal discontinuity is recognized.}, language = {en} } @article{YuanSobolevKindetal.2000, author = {Yuan, X. H and Sobolev, Stephan Vladimir and Kind, Rainer and Oncken, Onno and Bock, G{\"u}nter and Asch, G{\"u}nter and Schurr, B. and Gr{\"a}ber, F. and Rudloff, Alexander and Hanka, W. and Wylegalla, Kurt and Tibi, R. and Haberland, Christian and Rietbrock, Andreas and Giese, Peter and Wigger, Peter and Rower, P. and Zandt, G. and Beck, S. and Wallace, T. and Pardo, M. and Comte, D.}, title = {Subduction and collision processes in the Central Andes constrained by converted seismic phases}, year = {2000}, language = {en} } @article{SchurrAschRietbrocketal.1999, author = {Schurr, B. and Asch, G{\"u}nter and Rietbrock, Andreas and Kind, Rainer and Pardo, M. and Heit, B. and Monfret, T.}, title = {Seismicity and average velocities beneath the Argentine Puna plateau}, year = {1999}, language = {en} } @article{GieseGraeberHaberlandetal.1999, author = {Giese, Peter and Graeber, F. and Haberland, Christian and Rietbrock, Andreas and Schurr, B. and Asch, G{\"u}nter}, title = {La sismicidad en los Andes Centrales - una revision}, isbn = {987-97770-1-8}, year = {1999}, language = {de} } @article{OnckenLuschenMechieetal.1999, author = {Oncken, Onno and Luschen, Ewald and Mechie, James and Sobolev, Stephan Vladimir and Schulze, Albrecht and Gaedicke, Christoph and Grunewald, Steffen and Bribach, Jens and Asch, G{\"u}nter and Giese, Peter and Wigger, Peter and Schmitz, Michael and Lueth, Stefan and Scheuber, Ekkehard and Haberland, Christian and Rietbrock, Andreas and G{\"o}tze, Hans-J{\"u}rgen and Brasse, Heinrich and Patzwahl, Regina and Chong, Guillermo and Wilke, Hans-Gerhard and Gonzalez, Gabriel and Jensen, Arturo and Araneda, Manuel and Vieytes, Hugo and Behn, Gerardo and Martinez, Eloy}, title = {Seismic reflection image revealing offset of Andean subduction-zone earthquake locations into oceanic mantle}, year = {1999}, language = {en} }