The 11^th February, 2004 Earthquake of The Dead Sea, Jordan

Abstract

The Dead Sea fault system and its branching faults represent one of the most tectonically active regions in the Middle East. The present investigation emphasis on the recent earthquake swarm, which occurred at the end of 2003 and extended to the middle of July 2004 with critical examination on the strongest event of 11^th Feb. 2004. The present study examines the location of the strongest events (Dec. 31^st, 2003; February 11^th, 2004 and March, 15^th, 2004) and correlates them with the various tectonic elements in the Dead Sea basin. The source mechanism of the three events is also examined. The focal mechanism and the depth of the events were obtained from the motion of the P waves. The fault plan solution of the main event (11^th Feb.), indicates that the rupture propagated down dip, where the motion was initiated mainly as a normal component with slight strike-slip movement. At the same time, the analyses of the aftershocks during the subsequent two weeks show that the source mechanism is the same as that of the main event. The source mechanism of the event, which occurred at Dec. 31st and March, 15th indicates that the movements were initiated as left-lateral strike-slip motion with a slight normality. The seismic energy appears to have migrated from the south to the north during the period of Dec., 31 up to March, 12, where the seismic energy has a migration character to the southern block of the eastern side of the Dead Sea after March, 12, which lead the seismic event to occur in March, 15. Therefore, another relatively major event occurred in July, 8, 2005 as predicted.