TY  - JOUR
A1  - Weber, Michael H.
A1  - Abu-Ayyash, Khalil
A1  - Abueladas, Abdel-Rahman
A1  - Agnon, Amotz
A1  - Al-Amoush, H.
A1  - Babeyko, Andrey
A1  - Bartov, Yosef
A1  - Baumann, M.
A1  - Ben-Avraham, Zvi
A1  - Bock, Günter
A1  - Bribach, Jens
A1  - El-Kelani, R.
A1  - Forster, A.
A1  - Förster, Hans-Jürgen
A1  - Frieslander, U.
A1  - Garfunkel, Zvi
A1  - Grunewald, Steffen
A1  - Gotze, Hans-Jürgen
A1  - Haak, Volker
A1  - Haberland, Christian
A1  - Hassouneh, Mohammed
A1  - Helwig, S.
A1  - Hofstetter, Alfons
A1  - Jackel, K. H.
A1  - Kesten, Dagmar
A1  - Kind, Rainer
A1  - Maercklin, Nils
A1  - Mechie, James
A1  - Mohsen, Amjad
A1  - Neubauer, F. M.
A1  - Oberhänsli, Roland
A1  - Qabbani, I.
A1  - Ritter, O.
A1  - Rumpker, G.
A1  - Rybakov, M.
A1  - Ryberg, Trond
A1  - Scherbaum, Frank
A1  - Schmidt, J.
A1  - Schulze, A.
A1  - Sobolev, Stephan Vladimir
A1  - Stiller, M.
A1  - Th, 
T1  - The crustal structure of the Dead Sea Transform
N2  - To address one of the central questions of plate tectonics-How do large transform systems work and what are their typical features?-seismic investigations across the Dead Sea Transform (DST), the boundary between the African and Arabian plates in the Middle East, were conducted for the first time. A major component of these investigations was a combined reflection/ refraction survey across the territories of Palestine, Israel and Jordan. The main results of this study are: (1) The seismic basement is offset by 3-5 km under the DST, (2) The DST cuts through the entire crust, broadening in the lower crust, (3) Strong lower crustal reflectors are imaged only on one side of the DST, (4) The seismic velocity sections show a steady increase in the depth of the crust-mantle transition (Moho) from 26 km at the Mediterranean to 39 km under the Jordan highlands, with only a small but visible, asymmetric topography of the Moho under the DST. These observations can be linked to the left-lateral movement of 105 km of the two plates in the last 17 Myr, accompanied by strong deformation within a narrow zone cutting through the entire crust. Comparing the DST and the San Andreas Fault (SAF) system, a strong asymmetry in subhorizontal lower crustal reflectors and a deep reaching deformation zone both occur around the DST and the SAF. The fact that such lower crustal reflectors and deep deformation zones are observed in such different transform systems suggests that these structures are possibly fundamental features of large transform plate boundaries
Y1  - 2004
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Mohsen, Amjad
A1  - Hofstetter, Rami
A1  - Bock, Günter
A1  - Kind, Rainer
A1  - Weber, Michael H.
A1  - Wylegalla, Kurt
A1  - Rumpker, Georg
T1  - A receiver function study across the Dead Sea Transform
N2  - We report on a receiver function study of the crust and upper mantle within DESERT, a multidisciplinary geophysical project to study the lithosphere across the Dead Sea Transform (DST). A temporary seismic network was operated on both sides of the DST between 2000 April and 2001 June. The depth of the Moho increases smoothly from about 30 to 34-38 km towards the east across the DST, with significant north-south variations east of the DST. These Moho depth estimates from receiver functions are consistent with results from steep-and wide-angle controlled-source techniques. Steep-angle reflections and receiver functions reveal an additional discontinuity in the lower crust, but only east of the DST. This leads to the conclusion that the internal crustal structure east and west of the DST is different. The P to S converted phases from both discontinuities at 410 and 660 km are delayed by 2 s with respect to the IASP91 global reference model. This would indicate that the transition zone is consistent with the global average, but the upper mantle above 410 km is 3-4 per cent slower than the standard earth model
Y1  - 2005
SN  - 0956-540X
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Mohsen, Amjad
A1  - Asch, Günter
A1  - Mechie, James
A1  - Kind, Rainer
A1  - Hofstetter, Rami
A1  - Weber, Michael H.
A1  - Stiller, M.
A1  - Abu-Ayyash, Khalil
T1  - Crustal structure of the Dead Sea Basin (DSB) from a receiver function analysis
JF  - Geophysical journal international
N2  - 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.
KW  - Transform faults
KW  - Crustal structure
Y1  - 2011
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-246X.2010.04853.x
SN  - 0956-540X
VL  - 184
IS  - 1
SP  - 463
EP  - 476
PB  - Wiley-Blackwell
CY  - Malden
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Mechie, James
A1  - Abu-Ayyash, Khalil
A1  - Ben-Avraham, Zvi
A1  - El-Kelani, R.
A1  - Mohsen, Amjad
A1  - Rumpker, Georg
A1  - Saul, J.
A1  - Weber, Michael H.
T1  - Crustal shear velocity structure across the Dead Sea Transform from two-dimensional modelling of DESERT project explosion seismic data
N2  - An analysis of the shear (S) waves recorded during the wide-angle reflection/refraction (WRR) experiment as part of the DESERT project crossing the Dead Sea Transform (DST) reveals average crustal S-wave velocities of 3.3-3.5 km s(-1) beneath the WRR profile. Together with average crustal P-wave velocities of 5.8-6.1 km s(-1) from an already published study this provides average crustal Poisson's ratios of 0.26-0.27 (V-p/V-s = 1.76-1.78) below the profile. The top two layers consisting predominantly of sedimentary rocks have S- wave velocities of 1.8-2.7kms(-1) and Poisson's ratios of 0.25-0.31 (V-p/V-s = 1.73-1.91). Beneath these two layers the seismic basement has average S- wave velocities of around 3.6 km s(-1) east of the DST and about 3.7 km s(-1) west of the DST and Poisson's ratios of 0.24-0.25 (V-p/V-s = 1.71-1.73). The lower crust has an average S-wave velocity of about 3.75 km s(-1) and an average Poisson's ratio of around 0.27 (V-p/V-s = 1.78). No Sn phase refracted through the uppermost mantle was observed. The results provide for the first time information from controlled source data on the crustal S-wave velocity structure for the region west of the DST in Israel and Palestine and agree with earlier results for the region east of the DST in the Jordanian highlands. A shear wave splitting study using SKS waves has found evidence for crustal anisotropy beneath the WRR profile while a receiver function study has found evidence for a lower crustal, high S-wave velocity layer east of the DST below the profile. Although no evidence was found in the S-wave data for either feature, the S-wave data are not incompatible with crustal anisotropy being present as the WRR profile only lies 30 degrees off the proposed symmetry axis of the anisotropy where the difference in the two S-wave velocities is still very small. In the case of the lower crustal, high S-wave velocity layer, if the velocity change at the top of this layer comprises a small first-order discontinuity underlain by a 2 km thick transition zone, instead of just a large first-order discontinuity, then both the receiver function data and the WRR data presented here can be satisfied. Finally, the S-wave velocities and Poisson's ratios which have been derived in this study are typical of continental crust and do not require extensional processes to explain them
Y1  - 2005
ER  -