Internal structure of the Dead Sea leaky transform (rift) in relation to plate kinematics

The structures along the Dead Sea transform (rift) are related to the motions of the Sinai and Arabia plates which border it, and to the irregularities of their boundaries. The total slip was 105 km left-lateral, but the present structures were formed mainly during the last 40 km of slip, which probably occurred in the Plio-Pleistocene. Along the southern half of the transform the strike-slip motion takes place on en-echelon faults. This produces rhomb-shaped grabens or pull-aparts, which are sometimes composite, and in which there is local crustal separation. Thus, much of the transform is "leaky". These structures occur in a morpho-tectonic "rift-valley" delimited by normal faults, which express a small component of transverse extension. Along a few segments the shape of the transform is such that lateral motion produces local transverse compression. The geometric relations of the structures along the transform define an Eulerian pole of relative plate motions at 32.8° N 22.6° E ± 0.5°. The older motion was somewhat different and is described by a pole located about 5° west of the above. Then the component of transverse extension and crustal separation was much smaller than now, while local transverse compression was more important. The northern half of the Dead Sea transform has an irregular shape, and the bordering plates did not remain rigid as lateral motion continued. Here transverse compression is often important.