Coseismic displacements along the Serghaya Fault: an active branch of the Dead Sea Fault System in Syria and Lebanon

Late Cenozoic uplift along the northern Dead Sea transform in Lebanon and Syria

“…In the Anti Lebanon range, river valleys demonstrate consistent leftward deflections along the entire trace of the Serghaya fault [4]. Of the 34 large stream valleys of second order or greater observed in the DEM and remote sensing imagery, 32 depict clear leftward deflections.…”

“…Recent plate tectonic models have begun to suggest that the northern portion of this transform may be characterized as transpressional in nature. Recent studies have identified clear evidence of active tectonism along the DSFS, including paleoseismic indicators, for the main fault branches along the northern 500 km of the DSFS (i.e., north of approximately 32.5° N) [1][2][3][4][5]. Results of these studies firmly refute recent assertions that the northern DSFS and the strike-slip faults in the Bekaa Valley are presently inactive [6,7].…”

Strain partitioning of active transpression within the Lebanese restraining bend of the Dead Sea Fault (Lebanon and SW Syria)

“…Based on a sequence of three displaced and abandoned channels exposed in the palaeoseismic excavation, a slip rate of 1.4 + 0.1 mm/a was estimated. A small component of oblique slip on the Serghaya Fault was suggested by fault-plane striations as well as faulted landscape features (Gomez et al 2001). However, the faults are subvertical at the surface, and it is unclear whether the dip-slip component (c.0.3 mm/a) reflects regional compression of the Anti-Lebanon range or local extension related to the releasing bend in the Serghaya Fault that corresponds with the Zebadani Valley.…”

“…Along this transform system, a large (c.180-km-long) restraining bend along the Dead Sea fault system encompasses present-day Lebanon and SW Syria. Recent palaeoseismic (Gomez et al 2001(Gomez et al , 2003Daeron et al 2004Daeron et al , 2005Nemer & Meghraoui 2006) and geodetic (e.g. Wdowinski et al 2004;Reilinger et al 2006) studies have shown that the strike-slip faults are unambiguously active within the Lebanese restraining bend, refuting suggestions to the contrary (e.g.…”

Measurement of Anomalous Radon Gas Emanation Across the Yammouneh Fault in Southern Lebanon: A Possible Approach to Earthquake Prediction

“…In addition, studies of the seismicity and tectonic activity of the DSTF, including its branching faults within Lebanese territory, have been carried out by Mohamad et al (2000), Gomez et al (2001), Tapponnier et al (2001), Meghraoui et al (2003), Nemer and Meghraoui (2006), Reilinger et al (2006), Nemer, Meghraoui et al (2008), Alchalbi et al (2009), and Palano et al (2013).…”