Nanoseismicity forecasts sinkhole collapse in the Dead Sea coast years in advance

Research Article| November 29, 2017 Nanoseismicity forecasts sinkhole collapse in the Dead Sea coast years in advance Meir Abelson; Meir Abelson 1Geological Survey of Israel, Jerusalem 95501, Israel Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Tatiana Aksinenko; Tatiana Aksinenko 2Geophysical Institute of Israel, Lod 71100, Israel Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Ittai Kurzon; Ittai Kurzon 1Geological Survey of Israel, Jerusalem 95501, Israel Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Vladimir Pinsky; Vladimir Pinsky 2Geophysical Institute of Israel, Lod 71100, Israel Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Gidon Baer; Gidon Baer 1Geological Survey of Israel, Jerusalem 95501, Israel Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Ran Nof; Ran Nof 1Geological Survey of Israel, Jerusalem 95501, Israel Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Yoseph Yechieli Yoseph Yechieli 1Geological Survey of Israel, Jerusalem 95501, Israel3Zuckerberg Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sde Boker 8499000, Israel Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geology (2018) 46 (1): 83–86. https://doi.org/10.1130/G39579.1 Article history received: 03 Aug 2017 rev-recd: 25 Oct 2017 accepted: 26 Oct 2017 first online: 29 Nov 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Meir Abelson, Tatiana Aksinenko, Ittai Kurzon, Vladimir Pinsky, Gidon Baer, Ran Nof, Yoseph Yechieli; Nanoseismicity forecasts sinkhole collapse in the Dead Sea coast years in advance. Geology 2017;; 46 (1): 83–86. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G39579.1 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 human-induced desiccation of the Dead Sea has led to the formation of more than 6000 collapse sinkholes along its western coast during the past 20 yr, causing severe infrastructural damage. This desiccation led to intrusion of fresh groundwater from the Judaean Mountains to the west; the groundwater dissolves a 10–70-m-deep salt layer, forming subsurface cavities. The coastal sediments overlying these cavities become unstable until their final collapse to develop sinkholes. Here we show results of seismic monitoring that identified subsurface instabilities several years before sinkhole collapse. The survey, which included a network of five borehole geophones buried at depths between 11 and 25 m, detected 82 nanoseismic events, 75 of which were in a magnitude range between −2 and −3. The hypocenter depths range upward from the base of the salt layer, and the plan-view distribution agrees with a salt dissolution propagation front. Therefore, these nanoseismic signals are likely due to deformation that precedes the surface collapse of sinkholes. During the monitoring period there were no indications of subtle land subsidence at the surface above most of the nanoseismic events, as we show from interferometric synthetic aperture radar. The first sinkhole collapse occurred 2.5 yr after the nanoseismic events, and seven additional sinkholes formed in 2016, suggesting that the zone of nanoseismicity is prone to further collapse in the coming years. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.