The Kinematics of the 1033 A.D. Earthquake Revealed by the Damage at Hisham Palace (Jordan Valley, Dead Sea Transform Zone)

Abstract

we bring together and analyze new coseismic data from field survey and historical pictures, critically revise the deformation pattern from literature, and review the seismological insights from archaeological excavations. Khirbet al-Mafjar also preserves evidence of surface faulting, a rare and exceptional feature in archaeological sites. The collected data and results allow us to (1) identify the earthquake responsible for the damage at Hisham palace, (2) recognize the possible seismogenic structure and its kinematics, (3) contribute to the reconstruction of the past historical seismicity affecting the area during the palace occupation, and (4) improve the knowledge of the seismotectonic setting of the Jordan Valley. GEOLOGICAL SETTING The Dead Sea Transform zone (Fig. 1) is about 1100 km long, a north–south striking, left-lateral fault system representing the active boundary between the Arabian and African plates (Garfunkel et al., 1981). The north–south striking Jericho fault belongs to this system and runs along about half the length of the Dead Sea Basin in its middle part. On land, the fault affects the central sector of the Jordan Valley (Gardosh et al., 1990). The Jericho fault, which cuts Holocene terrains, is characterized by prevailing strike-slip movements with minor extensional and compressive components (Reches and Hoexter, 1981). In the Jordan Valley, Global Positioning ! Figure 1. Geodynamic setting (inset) and schematic map of the Dead Sea fault system in the Jericho Valley. Macroseismic intensity of the 1033 A.D. earthquake occurred in the Khirbet area (data from Guidoboni and Comastri, 2005). Location of the archaeological site and of main fault traces is reported. The white square delimits the area shown in Figure 6. doi: 10.1785/0220130060 Seismological Research