Impact of the Dead Sea Transform Kinematics on Adjacent Volcanic Activity

Abstract

The Dead Sea Transform (DST) cuts through the northwestern edge of the Harrat ash Shaam volcanic field of western Arabia. The relation of the DST to adjacent volcanic activity has varied during the last 5 Ma. While Pliocene volcanism erupted on both shoulders of the DST and thick sections of volcanics accumulated along its axis, Pleistocene volcanic activity gradually abandoned the transform area while continued farther east. This was concomitant with the increase of transform-normal (E-W) contraction along the adjacent transpressive Metulla block at the DST northern sector. New geochronology of Pleistocene volcanic rocks from the Golan Heights (Ar-Ar) and of syntectonic and post-tectonic calcite precipitates (U-Th) from Metulla block reveals temporal association of volcanic dormancy and intensity of the transpressive regime. This includes volcanic cessations during 600-220 ka and post 100 ka, which coincided with growth episodes of several~E-W striking veins within the adjacent Metulla block. New high-resolution U-Th ages of calcite-filled vein record the exact timing of these growth episodes to 340-240 and 53-16 ka, which is in accordance with the renewed activity along N-S strike-slip faults during 220-60 ka, manifested by U-Th ages of calcite precipitates on striated fault planes. The temporal association of volcanic dormancy and enhanced transpression, while volcanic activity and increased strike-slip activity, suggests that continental transforms may act both as inhibitors and as facilitators to magmatic activity. Switching between intermediate and least principal stresses might be the underline mechanism for stress dissipation and relaxation at a time scale of 100 ka.Plain Language Summary The Dead Sea Transform (DST), a plate boundary fault running 1,000 km from the northwestern tip of the Red Sea toward Turkey, cuts through the northern part of the large volcanic area of Harrat ash Shaam in western Arabia. We show that although not being a driving force for the volcanism itself, the stress field associated with the DST occasionally facilitated volcanism along its axis and shoulders, while in other times (e.g., Recent), it functioned as an inhibitor to volcanism, which during the Pleistocene caused activity to abandon the DST area and migrate eastward, toward the center of the Harrat ash Shaam volcanic field.

Late Pleistocene submarine terraces in the Eastern Mediterranean, central Lebanon, Byblos: Revealing their formation time frame through modeling

“…This is further supported by Pico et al (2018Pico et al ( ), 2017Pico et al ( , 2016 who calculated the sea level to have 2003) (shifted for +5, +10, +15, +20, +25, +30 m) and comparison to the depth of the distant terrace sequence. The yellow points declare E-W contraction events and the activation of intense thrusting which is translated as uplifting events (Weinstein and Nuriel, 2019;Weinstein et al, 2020). (For interpretation of the references to color in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the Web version of this article.)…”

“…However, the formation of the distant STs during the MIS 3 could be further supported by the regional tectonic activity which may have contributed to their preservation. U-Th datings from calcite-filled veins records in the Metulla block at the southern fringes of the Yammouneh fault (Weinstein and Nuriel, 2019;Weinstein et al, 2020), showed extensive growth of the veins from 53 to 16ka BP. This is tectonically translated to strong E-W contraction and activation of intense thrusting, which is responsible for the uplifting regime of our survey area.…”

Sarıhıdır manganese mineralization related to travertine, Central Anatolian Volcanic Province, Turkey

“…Some studies have revealed the temporal correlation between carbonate deposits like travertine beds and carbonate veins with volcanism (Karabacak et al, 2020(Karabacak et al, , 2017Priewisch et al, 2014;Weinstein et al, 2020). Priewisch et al (2014) and Karabacak et al (2017) associated travertine formation with volcanism.…”

Manifestations of Quaternary syn‐eruptive fluid circulations on carbonate veins, Central Anatolian Volcanic Province

“…Previous studies asserted the temporal correlation between carbonate precipitation and volcanism with random sampling strategies on travertine deposits, veins and speleothems (e.g. Tuccimei et al, 2006;Priewisch et al, 2014;Karabacak et al, 2017;Weinstein et al, 2020). For example, Priewisch et al (2014) suggest that the deposition ages of voluminous travertines overlap with the episodes of basaltic volcanism in New Mexico and Arizona.…”

“…Previous studies asserted the temporal correlation between carbonate precipitation and volcanism with random sampling strategies on travertine deposits, veins and speleothems (e.g. Tuccimei et al ., 2006; Priewisch et al ., 2014; Karabacak et al ., 2017; Weinstein et al ., 2020). For example, Priewisch et al .…”