Archaeology, history, and geology of the A.D. 749 earthquake, Dead Sea transform

Research Article| August 01, 2003 Archaeology, history, and geology of the A.D. 749 earthquake, Dead Sea transform Shmuel Marco; Shmuel Marco 1Department of Geophysics and Planetary Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Moshe Hartal; Moshe Hartal 2Israel Antiquities Authority, POB 586, Jerusalem, Israel Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Nissim Hazan; Nissim Hazan 3Institute of Earth Sciences, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Lilach Lev; Lilach Lev 4Department of Geophysics and Planetary Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Mordechai Stein Mordechai Stein 5Institute of Earth Sciences, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel, and Geological Survey of Israel, 30 Malkehe Israel Street, Jerusalem, Israel Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Shmuel Marco 1Department of Geophysics and Planetary Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel Moshe Hartal 2Israel Antiquities Authority, POB 586, Jerusalem, Israel Nissim Hazan 3Institute of Earth Sciences, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel Lilach Lev 4Department of Geophysics and Planetary Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel Mordechai Stein 5Institute of Earth Sciences, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel, and Geological Survey of Israel, 30 Malkehe Israel Street, Jerusalem, Israel Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 22 Jan 2003 Revision Received: 28 Apr 2003 Accepted: 30 Apr 2003 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (2003) 31 (8): 665–668. https://doi.org/10.1130/G19516.1 Article history Received: 22 Jan 2003 Revision Received: 28 Apr 2003 Accepted: 30 Apr 2003 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Shmuel Marco, Moshe Hartal, Nissim Hazan, Lilach Lev, Mordechai Stein; Archaeology, history, and geology of the A.D. 749 earthquake, Dead Sea transform. Geology 2003;; 31 (8): 665–668. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G19516.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Historical records of earthquakes can contribute significantly to understanding active faulting and seismic hazards. However, pre–twentieth century historians were unaware of the association of earthquakes and fault ruptures. Consequently, historical texts usually report the time and damage caused by earthquakes, but not the associated faults. Conversely, observed fault ruptures are often difficult to date. In order to overcome these difficulties, we have analyzed archaeological and sedimentological observations in recent excavations in the ancient city of Tiberias and have combined them with interpretation of historical accounts. Tiberias was founded in A.D. 19 by King Herod on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee (Kinneret). Herod's stadium, exposed in these excavations for the first time, was damaged by boulder-bearing flash floods and by an earthquake. Later buildings, dated as late as the early eighth century, are all covered by alluvium and lake deposits. They are also damaged and offset by normal faults, whereas buildings from the late eighth century are intact. We therefore attribute the damage to the earthquake of 18 January 749. The paleoseismic observations are in good agreement with the distribution of damage on the basis of historical records. Both data sets indicate a 100-km-long rupture segment between the Kinneret and the Dead Sea pull-apart basins, demonstrating that it is capable of generating M > 7 earthquakes. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.