Skip to main content
Log in

Possible diapirs in the gulf of Elat, Southern Dead Sea rift

  • Published:
Geo-Marine Letters Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Elongate trending diapiric structures occur along faulted rifts in the Gulf of Elat. Those diapirs in the southern part of the Gulf, believed to be of salt origin were formed in the embryonic continental margin during the separation of the Nubian and Arabian plates. The diapirs farther to the north are believed to be of shale origin. These findings support other recent geological evidence suggesting that the tectonic regime in the region is obliquely extensional. Comparison with the structure of the Suez Rift indicates a jump of the northern extension of the Red Sea spreading center during the early Pliocene period.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Rabinowitz PD (1972) Gravity anomalies on the continental margin of Angola, Africa. Journal of Geophysical Research 77:6327–6347

    Google Scholar 

  2. Rabinowitz PD, Coffin MF, Falvey D (1982) Salt diapirs bordering the continental margin of northern Kenya and southern Somalia, Science 215:663–665

    Google Scholar 

  3. Ben-Avraham Z, Almagor G, Garfunkel Z (1979) Sediments and structure of the Gulf of Elat (Aqaba)—northern Red Sea. Sedimentary Geology 23:239–267

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Kupfer DH (1968) Relationship of internal to external structure of salt domes. In: Braunstein J, O'Brien G, eds. Diapirism and Diapirs. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Memoir 8, pp 79–89

  5. Jackson MPA, Seni SJ (1983) Geometry and evolution of salt structures in a marginal rift basin of the Gulf of Mexico, East Texas. Geology 11:131–135

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Tanner WF, Williams GK (1968) Model diapirs, plasticity and tension. In: Braunstein J, O'Brien GD, eds. Diapirism and Diapirs. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Memoir 8, pp 10–15

  7. Withjack MO, Sheiner C (1982) Fault patterns associated with domes—an experimental and analytical study. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin 66:302–316

    Google Scholar 

  8. Reiss Z, Luz B, Almogi-Lubin A, Halicz E, Winter A, Wolf M, Ross DA (1980) Late Quaternary paleoceanography of the Gulf of Aqaba (Elat), Red Sea. Quaternary Research 14:294–308

    Google Scholar 

  9. Ahmed SS (1972) Geology and petroleum prospects in eastern Red Sea. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin 56:707–719

    Google Scholar 

  10. Stoffers P, Ross DA (1974) Sedimentary history of the Red Sea. In: Whitmarsh RB, Wesser OE, Ross DA, et al. Initial Reports of the Deep Sea Drilling Project 23:849–865

  11. Garfunkel Z, Bartov Y (1977) The tectonics of the Suez rift. Geological Survey of Israel Bulletin 71

  12. Ben-Menahem A, Aboodi E, Vered M, Kovach RL (1977) Rate of seismicity of the Dead Sea region over the past 4000 years. Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interior 14:17–27

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Freund R, Garfunkel Z, Zak I, Goldberg M, Weissbrod T, Derin B (1970) The shear along the Dead Sea rift. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, London A267:102–130

    Google Scholar 

  14. Freund R (1970) Plate tectonics of the Red Sea and East Africa. Nature 228:453

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. McKenzie DP, Davis D, Molnar P (1970) Plate tectonics of the Red Sea and East Africa. Nature 226:243–248

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Le Pichon X, Francheteau J (1978) A plate tectonic analysis of the Red Sea—Gulf of Aden area. Tectonophysics 46:369–406

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Mart Y, Horowitz A (1981) The tectonics of the Timna region in southern Israel and the evolution of the Dead Sea rift. Tectonophysics 79:165–199

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Eyal Y., Reches Z (1983) Tectonics analysis of the Dead Sea rift region since the late Cretaceous based on mesostructures. Tectonics 2:167–185

    Google Scholar 

  19. Dubertret L (1970) Review of structural geology of the Red Sea and surrounding areas. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, London A267:9–22

    Google Scholar 

  20. Vroman AJ (1973) Is a compromise between the theories of tension and of the Jordan-Dead Sea trend possible? Israel Journal of Earth Sciences 22:141–156

    Google Scholar 

  21. Rabinowitz PD, LaBrecque J (1979) The Mesozoic South Atlantic ocean and evolution of continental margins. Journal of Geophysical Research 84:5973–6002

    Google Scholar 

  22. Ginzburg A, Makris J (1979) Gravity and density distribution in the Dead Sea rift and adjoining areas. Tectonophysis 54:T17-T26

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Mart, Y., Rabinowitz, P.D. Possible diapirs in the gulf of Elat, Southern Dead Sea rift. Geo-Marine Letters 4, 63–67 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02277074

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02277074

Keywords

Navigation