Relations between Dead Sea Sinkholes and Faults

Results of a geophysical study of the sinkhole development sites in the Dead Sea costal area in Israel and Jordan are presented. Relations between sinkhole lineaments and faults have been studied using updated Seismic Reflection methodology. It was shown that sinkhole lineaments are arranged along the salt layer edge. We suggest that superficial coastal basins where salt formed were generated by sub-vertical displacements along faults. Such suggestion would agree two major competition models of sinkhole formation: structural model, considering control of faults and second one explaining sinkholes formation along salt edge. Such model suggests that salt layer edge is conformed to faults and sinkholes are arranged simultaneously along both salt edge and faults. This model will be verified shortly by analysis of boreholes and by other reflection sections carried out in past. Note, models presented in the paper enables us also to conclude that: (1) Salt edge can be considered as an ancient shoreline existing at the stage of salt unit formation (10,000 years ago). Modern sinkholes are formed along this ancient shoreline; and (2) Buried salt layer comes out far away of the modern Dead Sea shoreline permitting its investigation from surface,