Submarine turbidites and mass-transport deposits (MTDs) provide potential valuable archives for reconstructing earthquake histories beyond the limits of instrumental and historical records. This study examines turbidite sequences in the Gulf of Aqaba–Eilat (GAE), the southern segment of the Dead Sea Transform (DST), to evaluate their potential as paleo-earthquake indicators. Although the region has experienced major historical earthquakes, including the Mw 7.3 1995 Nuweiba event, offshore paleoseismic records south of the gulf head remain fragmentary. Previous work has demonstrated that turbidite layers in the northern GAE can be correlated with historical and pre-historical earthquakes, supporting the feasibility of turbidite-based paleo-seismic reconstruction in this setting.
Five gravity cores collected during RV Meteor cruise M44/3 from water depths of 135-–838 m were studied using a multi-proxy approach integrating sedimentology, X-ray fluorescence (XRF) core scanning, and radiocarbon dating. Grain-size distributions and sedimentary structures are used to characterize turbidites and distinguish earthquake-triggered deposits from non-seismic gravity flows.
Mass-transport events are expressed in the cores as coarse-grained units with sharp stratigraphic boundaries and distinct geochemical anomalies relative to background pelagic sediment and are more frequent in the deeper basin (> 500 m). Several units may exhibit stratigraphic synchronicity across multiple cores, supporting a seismic trigger, which will be verified by dating.
XRF-derived elemental ratios provide additional constraints on sediment source and mass-transport processes. The coarse-grained event layers reveal systematic geochemical variability among units with high Zr/Rb and comparatively elevated Fe/Ca values characterizing terrigenous-dominated turbidites, while relatively enhanced Sr/Ca and Sr/Ti ratios typify biogenic carbonate-rich event layers probably representing reef debris originating from the shelf edge. While bathymetric and chronological analyses are still ongoing, this may indicate different processes and triggering mechanisms. Radiocarbon dating of planktonic (pelagic background sediment) and benthic (event layers) foraminifera combined with Bayesian age-depth modeling will support the triggers and transport mechanisms interpretation.
Overall, this study aims to refine earthquake recurrence estimates along the southern DST, improve criteria for identifying seismo-turbidites in hyper-arid marine settings, and contribute to regional seismic and tsunami hazard assessments.