Active tectonics of the northern Dead Sea Fault System in Syria
and Lebanon
We are conducting an interdisciplinary study of the
active tectonics
of the Dead Sea Fault System (DSFS) in Syria and Lebanon. One
motivation for this research is the relative lack of information on
this key plate boundary in the eastern Mediterranean tectonic puzzle.
In collaboration with researchers in the region, as well as
colleagues in the U.S. and France, this project has several facets:
- Neotectonic/paleoseismic field-based studies to assess the late
Quaternary rates of deformation and the geological record of late
Pleistocene and Holocene earthquakes.
- GPS geodesy to measure short-term crustal deformations
- Remote sensing applications (InSAR, Landsat, etc.) to identify
the possible regional extent of the neotectonic deformations.
These studies are strengthened by considerable work on the historical
and archeological record of earthquakes in Syria and Lebanon previously
conducted by colleagues in Syria, as well as ongoing seismological
studies by Syrian colleagues.
Right: Shaded relief image of the northern Dead Sea Fault
System.
More information:
Participants:
- Francisco
Gomez, Professor, University of Missouri (Columbia)
- Rani Jaafar, Graduate Student
Collaborating Institutions:
- Syrian National Earthquake Center
- Damascus University (Syria)
- Lebanese American University
- Lebanese National Center for Remote Sensing
- Earth Resources Laboratory at MIT
- IPG Strasbourg, France
- Cornell University
Acknowledgments
This material is partially based upon work supported by the National
Science Foundation. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or
recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s)
and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science
Foundation. SAR data have been provided by a data grant from the
European Space Agency (ESA).
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For questions or comments, please contact
Francisco Gomez: fgomez@missouri.edu.
Last updated: June 2007