Sinkhole precursors along the Dead Sea, Israel, revealed by SAR interferometry

Research Article| September 01, 2013 Sinkhole precursors along the Dead Sea, Israel, revealed by SAR interferometry Ran N. Nof; Ran N. Nof 1Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Mailbox 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel2Geological Survey of Israel, 30 Malkhe Israel Street, Jerusalem 95501, Israel3Department of Geophysics and Planetary Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat-Aviv, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Gidon Baer; Gidon Baer 2Geological Survey of Israel, 30 Malkhe Israel Street, Jerusalem 95501, Israel Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Alon Ziv; Alon Ziv 3Department of Geophysics and Planetary Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat-Aviv, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Eli Raz; Eli Raz 4Dead Sea and Arava Science Center, Tamar Regional Council, Dead-Sea mobile post 86910, Israel Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Simone Atzori; Simone Atzori 5Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Centro Nazionale Terremoti (CNT-INGV), Via di Vigna Murata 605, 00143 Rome, Italy Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Stefano Salvi Stefano Salvi 5Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Centro Nazionale Terremoti (CNT-INGV), Via di Vigna Murata 605, 00143 Rome, Italy Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Ran N. Nof 1Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Mailbox 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel2Geological Survey of Israel, 30 Malkhe Israel Street, Jerusalem 95501, Israel3Department of Geophysics and Planetary Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat-Aviv, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel Gidon Baer 2Geological Survey of Israel, 30 Malkhe Israel Street, Jerusalem 95501, Israel Alon Ziv 3Department of Geophysics and Planetary Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat-Aviv, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel Eli Raz 4Dead Sea and Arava Science Center, Tamar Regional Council, Dead-Sea mobile post 86910, Israel Simone Atzori 5Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Centro Nazionale Terremoti (CNT-INGV), Via di Vigna Murata 605, 00143 Rome, Italy Stefano Salvi 5Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Centro Nazionale Terremoti (CNT-INGV), Via di Vigna Murata 605, 00143 Rome, Italy Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 20 Feb 2013 Revision Received: 15 May 2013 Accepted: 17 May 2013 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 © 2013 Geological Society of America Geology (2013) 41 (9): 1019–1022. https://doi.org/10.1130/G34505.1 Article history Received: 20 Feb 2013 Revision Received: 15 May 2013 Accepted: 17 May 2013 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Ran N. Nof, Gidon Baer, Alon Ziv, Eli Raz, Simone Atzori, Stefano Salvi; Sinkhole precursors along the Dead Sea, Israel, revealed by SAR interferometry. Geology 2013;; 41 (9): 1019–1022. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G34505.1 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 The water level in the Dead Sea (Israel and Jordan) has been dropping at an increasing rate since the 1960s, exceeding one meter per year during the last decade. This drop has triggered the formation of sinkholes and widespread land subsidence along the Dead Sea shoreline, resulting in severe economic loss and infrastructural damage. In this study, the spatiotemporal evolution of sinkhole-related subsidence and the effect of human activities and land perturbation on sinkhole development are examined through interferometric synthetic aperture radar measurements and field surveys conducted in Israel during 2012. Interferograms are generated using COSMO-SkyMed satellite images and a high-resolution (0.5 m/pixel) elevation model obtained from LiDAR measurements. As a result of this unique combination of high-resolution data sets, millimeter-scale subsidence has been resolved in both natural and human-disturbed environments. Precursory subsidence over a period of a few months occurred before the collapse of all three sinkhole sites reported in this study. The centers of the subsiding areas migrated, possibly due to progressive dissolution and widening of the underlying cavities. Filling of newly formed sinkholes with gravel, and mud injections into drill holes, seem to enhance land subsidence, enlarge existing sinkholes, and form new sinkholes. Apart from shedding light on the mechanical process, the results of this study may pave the way for the implementation of an operational sinkhole early-warning system. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.