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- Tuesday, November 22, 2005
- 3-dimensional gravity Model of the southern Jordan Dead Sea Transform
- Published at:Not Found
A three-dimensional interpretation of the newly compiled Bouguer anomaly
map of the Dead Sea Transform (DST) is presented. A high-resolution 3-D model
constrained with the seismic results reveals a possible crustal thickness and density
distribution beneath the Rift. The negative Bouguer anomalies (-130 mGal) along
the axial portion of the Rift floor, as deduced from the modelling results, are mainly
caused by deep seated basins of light sediments (≥10 km). The inferred zone of
intrusion coincides with the maximum gravity anomaly over the eastern flank of the
Rift. The intrusion is displaced at different sectors along the NW-SE direction. The
zone of the maximum crustal thinning (≤30 km) is attained in the western sector at the
Mediterranean. The southeastern plateau, on the other hand, shows by far the largest
crustal thickness in the region (38-42 km). Linked to the left lateral movement of ~
107 km at the boundary between the African and Arabian plates, and constrained with
recent seismic data, a small asymmetric topography of the Moho beneath the DST
was modelled. The thickness and densities of the crust ranging from 2650-2900 kg/m
suggest that the DST underlain by a continental crust. The deep basins, the relatively
large nature of the intrusion and the asymmetric topography of the Moho, lead to
the conclusion that a small-scale asthenospheric upwelling(?) might be responsible
for the thinning of the crust and subsequent rifting of the DST during the left lateral
movement.
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