Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

An updated parametric catalog of historical earthquakes around the Dead Sea Transform Fault Zone

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of Seismology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In this study, we present the work done to review the existing historical earthquake information of the Dead Sea Transform Fault Zone (DSTFZ). Several studies from various sources have been collected and reassessed, with the ultimate goal of creating of new homogenized parametric earthquake catalog for the region. We analyze 244 earthquakes between 31 BC and 1900, which are associated with the geographical buffer extending from 27 N to 36 N and from 31 E to 39 E. Of these, 93 were considered real seismic events with moment magnitude (Mw) greater than 5 that indeed occurred within this zone. While we relied on past parametric data and did not assign new macroseismic intensities, magnitude values, or epicenters for several controversial events, we did however resort to the primary sources to obtain a more critical perspective for the various assigned macroseismic intensities. In order to validate the derived parametric information, we tried to associate the events present in the historical records, with any evidence coming from past field investigations, i.e., geological or archaeological studies. Acknowledging the uneven quality and quantity of data reporting each event, we provided each entry with an uncertainty range estimate. Our catalog lists 33 events of Mw ≥ 6 absent from the latest published compilation with compatible time span and areal coverage. The whole catalog is considered complete down to Mw 7 and in certain areas down to Mw 6 after the year 1000, with majority of the larger earthquakes located in the part of DSTFZ, which extends from the southeast part of Dead Sea lake till Antioch.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Agnon A, Migowski C, Marco S (2006) Intraclast breccias in laminated sequences reviewed: recorders of paleo-earthquakes. Geol Soc Am Spec Pap 401:195–214

    Google Scholar 

  • Akyuz HS, Altunel E, Karabacak V, Yalciner CC (2006) Historical earthquake activity of the northern part of the Dead Sea Fault Zone, southern Turkey. Tectonophysics 426(3):281–293

    Google Scholar 

  • Albini P, Musson RM, Rovida A, Locati M, Gomez Capera AA, Vigano D (2014) The global earthquake history. Earthquake Spectra 30(2):607–624 https://emidius.eu/GEH/map.php

    Google Scholar 

  • Albini P, Antonucci A, Locati M, Rovida A (2018) Should users trust or not trust Sieberg’s Erdbebengeographie (1932)? Seismol Res Lett 90(1):335–346

    Google Scholar 

  • Aldersons F, Ben-Avraham Z (2014) In: Garfunkel Z, Ben-Avraham Z, Kagan E (eds) The Seismogenic thickness in the Dead Sea area, Dead Sea Transform Fault System: Reviews. Springer

  • Altunel E, Meghraoui M, Karabacak V, Akyuz SH, Ferry M, Yalciner CC, Munschy M (2009) Archaeological sites (tell and road) offset by the Dead Sea fault in the Amik Basin, southern Turkey. Geophys J Int 179:1313–1329

    Google Scholar 

  • Ambraseys N (1962) A note on the chronology of Willis’s list of earthquakes in Palestine and Syria. Bull Seismol Soc Am 52(1):77–80

    Google Scholar 

  • Ambraseys N (1992) Soil mechanics and engineering seismology. Proc. 2nd Natl. Conf. on Geotech. Eng., (invited paper)

  • Ambraseys N (2001) Reassessment of earthquakes, 1900–1999, in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. Geophys J Int 145(2):471–485

    Google Scholar 

  • Ambraseys N (2005a) The seismic activity in Syria and Palestine during the middle of the 8th century; an amalgamation of historical earthquakes. J Seismol 9(1):115–125

    Google Scholar 

  • Ambraseys N (2005b) Historical earthquakes in Jerusalem – a methodological discussion. J Seismol 9(3):329–340

    Google Scholar 

  • Ambraseys N (2006) Comparison of frequency of occurrence of earthquakes with slip rates from long-term seismicity data: the cases of Gulf of Corinth, Sea of Marmara and Dead Sea Fault Zone. Geophys J Int 165(2):516–526

    Google Scholar 

  • Ambraseys N (2009) Earthquakes in the Mediterranean and Middle East: a multidisciplinary study of seismicity up to 1900. Cambridge University Press

  • Ambraseys N, Barazangi M (1989) J Geophys Res Solid Earth 94(B4):4007–4013

    Google Scholar 

  • Ambraseys N, Jackson J (1998) Faulting associated with historical and recent earthquakes in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Geophys J Int 133(2):390–406

    Google Scholar 

  • Ambraseys N, White D (1997) The seismicity of the eastern Mediterranean region 550-1 B.C.: a re-appraisal. J Earthquake Eng 1:603–632

    Google Scholar 

  • Ambraseys N, Melville CP, Adams RD (1994) The seismicity of Egypt, Arabia and the Red Sea: a historical review. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Amiran DHK (1950) A revised earthquake-catalogue of Palestine. Israel Explor J 1(4):223–246

    Google Scholar 

  • Amiran DHK (1952) A revised earthquake-catalogue of Palestine. Israel Explor J 2(1):48–65

    Google Scholar 

  • Amiran DHK, Arieh E, Turcotte T (1994) Earthquakes in Israel and adjacent areas- macroseismic observations since 100 B.C.E. Israel Explor J 44(3/4):260–305

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson JG, Wesnousky SG, Stirling MW (1996) Earthquake size as a function of fault slip rate. Bull Seismol Soc Am 86(3):683–690

    Google Scholar 

  • Atkinson G (1984) Simple computation of liquefaction probability for seismic hazard applications. Earthquake Spectra 1:107–123

    Google Scholar 

  • Ben-Menahem A (1979) A new earthquake catalogue for the Middle East, 92BC-1979AD. Boll Geofis Teoret Appl 21:245–310

    Google Scholar 

  • Ben-Menahem A (1981) Variation of slip and creep along the Levant Rift over the past 4500 years. Tectonophysics 80(1–4):183–197

    Google Scholar 

  • Ben-Menahem A (1991) Four thousand years of seismicity along the Dead Sea rift. J Geophys Res Solid Earth 96(B12):20195–20216

    Google Scholar 

  • Bommer JJ, Scherbaum F (2008) The use and misuse of logic trees in probabilistic seismic hazard analysis. Earthquake Spectra 24(4):997–1009

    Google Scholar 

  • Bratt SR, Bache TC (1988) Locating events with a sparse network of regional arrays. Bull Seismol Soc Am 78(2):780–798

    Google Scholar 

  • Bronk-Ramsey C (2009) Bayesian analysis of radiocarbon dates. Radiocarbon 51:337–360

    Google Scholar 

  • Cecic I, Musson RM, Stucchi M (1996) Do seismologists agree upon epicentre determination from macroseismic data? A survey of ESC working group. Ann Geofis 39(5)

  • Daeron M, Klinger Y, Tapponnier P, Elias A, Jacques E, Sursock A (2005) Sources of the large 1202AD and 1759 near east earthquakes. Geology 33(7):529–532

    Google Scholar 

  • Daeron M, Klinger Y, Tapponnier P, Elias A, Jacques E, Sursock A (2007) 12,000-year-long record of 10 to 13 paleoearthquakes on the Yammouneh fault, Levant fault system, Lebanon. Bull Seismol Soc Am 97(3):749–771

    Google Scholar 

  • Danciu L, Kale O, Akkar S (2016) The 2014 Earthquake Model of the Middle East: ground motion model and uncertainties. Bull Earthq Eng:1–37

  • Danciu L, Sesetyan K, Demircioglu M, Guelen L, Zare et al (2017) The 2014 earthquake model of the Middle East: seismogenic sources. Bull Earthq Eng:1–32

  • Darawcheh R, Sbeinati MR, Margottini C, Paolini S (2000) The 9 July 551 AD Beirut earthquake, eastern Mediterranean region. J Earth Eng 04:403

    Google Scholar 

  • Di Giacomo D, Bondar I, Storchak DA, Engdahl ER, Bormann P, Harris J (2015) ISC-GEM: Global Instrumental Earthquake Catalogue (1900–2009), III. Re-computed MS and mb, proxy MW, final magnitude composition and completeness assessment. Phys Earth Planet Interiors 239:33–47

    Google Scholar 

  • Dunbar P (2009) Global significant earthquake database, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Boulder, CO, USA. https://doi.org/10.7289/V5TD9V7K

  • Elias A, Tapponnier P, Singh SC et al (2007) Active thrusting offshore Mount Lebanon: source of the tsunamigenic AD 551 Beirut-Tripoli earthquake. Geology 35(8):755–758

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellenblum R, Marco S, Agnon A, Rockwell T, Boas A (1998) Crusader castle torn apart by earthquake at dawn, 20 May 1202. Geology 26:303–306

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellenblum R, Marco S, Kool R, Davidovitch U, Porat R, Agnon A (2015) Archaeological record of earthquake ruptures in Tell Ateret, the Dead Sea Fault. Tectonics 34(10):2105–2117

    Google Scholar 

  • Feldman L & Amrat AQ (2007) Data file of historical earthquakes, GII Israel and NRA Jordan (unpublished)

  • Ferry M, Meghraoui M, Karaki NA, Al-Taj M, Khalil L (2011) Episodic behavior of the Jordan Valley section of the Dead Sea fault inferred from a 14-ka-long integrated catalog of large earthquakes. Bull Seismol Soc Am 101(1):39–67

    Google Scholar 

  • Field EH, Arrowsmith RJ, Biasi GP, Bird P et al (2014) Uniform California earthquake rupture forecast, version 3 (UCERF3)—the time-independent model. Bull Seismol Soc Am 104(3):1122–1180

    Google Scholar 

  • Field EH, Biasi GP, Bird P, Dawson TE et al (2015) Long-term time-dependent probabilities for the third Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast (UCERF3). Bull Seismol Soc Am 105(2A):511–543

    Google Scholar 

  • Gardner JK, Knopoff L (1974) Is the sequence of earthquakes in Southern California, with aftershocks removed, Poissonian? Bull Seism Soc Am 64(5):1363–1367

    Google Scholar 

  • Garfunkel Z (2009) The long-and short-term lateral slip and seismicity along the Dead Sea Transform: an interim evaluation. Isr J Earth Sci 58:217–235

    Google Scholar 

  • Garfunkel Z, Zak I, Freund R (1981) Active faulting in the Dead Sea rift. Tectonophysics 80(1–4):1–26

    Google Scholar 

  • Gasperini P (2004) Boxer, version 3.3, http://gaspy.df.unibo.it/paolo/boxer/boxer.html.

  • Gasperini P, Bernardini F, Valensise G, Boschi E (1999) Defining seismogenic sources from historical felt reports. Bull Seismol Soc Am 89:94–110

    Google Scholar 

  • Gasperini P, Vannucci G, Tripone D, Boschi E (2010) The location and sizing of historical earthquakes using the attenuation of macroseismic intensity with distance. Bull Seismol Soc Am 100(5A):2035–2066

    Google Scholar 

  • Gomez F, Meghraoui M, Darkal AN, Hijazi et al (2003) Holocene faulting and earthquake recurrence along the Serghaya branch of the Dead Sea fault system in Syria and Lebanon. Geophys J Int 153(3):658–674

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodman-Tchernov BN, Dey HW, Reinhardt EG, McCoy F, Mart Y (2009) Tsunami waves generated by the Santorini eruption reached Eastern Mediterranean shores. Geology 37(10):943–946

    Google Scholar 

  • Grigoratos I, Dabeek J, Faravelli M, Di Meo A, Cerchiello V, Borzi B, Monteiro R, Ceresa P (2016) Development of a fragility and exposure model for Palestine - application to the city of Nablus. Procedia Eng 161:2023–2029. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2016.08.797

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grigoratos I, Monteiro R, Ceresa P, Di Meo A, Faravelli M, Borzi B (2018a) Crowdsourcing exposure data for seismic vulnerability assessment in developing countries. J Earthq Eng:1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632469.2018.1537901

  • Grigoratos I, Danciu L, Poggi V, Rojo G, Monteiro R & Ceresa P (2018b) Data harmonization and earthquake-rate forecast for the Palestinian territories. 11th United States National Conference on earthquake engineering, Los Angeles, USA

  • Grigoratos I, Poggi V, Danciu L, Monteiro R (2020) Data-driven methods for merging and homogenizing instrumental earthquake catalogs – application to the Dead Sea Transform fault zone. Geophys J Int (under review)

  • Gruenthal G (1998) European macroseismic scale 1998 (EMS 1998). Council of Europe, Publication of the European Centre for Geodynamics and Seismology, 15

  • Gruenthal G, Wahlstroem R (2012) The European-Mediterranean Earthquake Catalogue (EMEC) for the last millennium. J Seismol 16(3):535–570

    Google Scholar 

  • Guidoboni E & Comastri A (2005) Catalogue of earthquakes and tsunamis in the Mediterranean area from the 11th to the 15th century, Istituto nazionale di geofisica e vulcanologia

  • Guidoboni E, Comastri A & Traina G (1994) Catalogue of ancient earthquakes in the Mediterranean area up to the 10th century, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica

  • Guidoboni E, Bernardini F, Comastri A, Boschi E (2004) The large earthquake on 29 June 1170 (Syria, Lebanon, and central southern Turkey). J Geophys Res 109(B07)

  • Guidoboni E, Ferrari G, Tarabusi G, Sgattoni G, Comastri A, Mariotti D et al (2019) CFTI5Med, the new release of the catalogue of strong earthquakes in Italy and in the Mediterranean area. Scie Data 6(1):80

    Google Scholar 

  • Hanks TC, Kanamori H (1979) A moment magnitude scale. J Geophys Res 84(5):2348–2350

    Google Scholar 

  • Haynes JM, Niemi TM, Atallah M (2006) Evidence for ground-rupturing earthquakes on the Northern Wadi Araba fault at the archaeological site of Qasr Tilah, Dead Sea Transform fault system, Jordan. J Seismol 10(4):415–430

    Google Scholar 

  • Hiemer S, Woessner J, Basili R, Danciu L, Giardini D, Wiemer S (2014) A smoothed stochastic earthquake rate model considering seismicity and fault moment release for Europe. Geophys J Int 198(2):1159–1172

    Google Scholar 

  • Hough SE, Avni R (2009) The 1170 and 1202 CE Dead Sea Rift earthquakes and long-term magnitude distribution of the Dead Sea fault zone. Isr J Earth Sci 58:295–308

    Google Scholar 

  • Kagan E, Stein M, Agnon A, Neumann F (2011) Intrabasin paleoearthquake and quiescence correlation of the late Holocene Dead Sea. J Geophys Res Solid Earth 116(B4)

  • Karcz I (2004) Implications of some early Jewish sources for estimates of earthquake hazard in the Holy Land. Ann Geophys 47(2–3)

  • Ken-Tor R, Agnon A, Enzel Y, Stein M, Marco S, Negendank JF (2001a) High-resolution geological record of historic earthquakes in the Dead Sea basin. J Geophys Res Solid Earth 106(B2):2221–2234

    Google Scholar 

  • Ken-Tor R, Stein M, Enzel Y, Agnon A, Marco S, Negendank JF (2001b) Precision of calibrated radiocarbon ages of historic earthquakes in the Dead Sea basin. Radiocarbon 43(03):1371–1382

    Google Scholar 

  • Khair K, Karakaisis GF & Papadimitriou EE (2000) Seismic zonation of the Dead Sea transform fault area. Ann Geofys 43(1)

  • Klinger Y, Avouac JP, Dorbath L, Abou-Karaki N, Tisnerat N (2000) Seismic behaviour of the Dead Sea fault along Araba Valley, Jordan. Geophys J Int 142:769–782

    Google Scholar 

  • Klinger Y, Le Beon M, Al-Qaryouti M (2015) 5000 yr of paleoseismicity along the southern Dead Sea fault. Geophys J Int 202(1):313–327

    Google Scholar 

  • Kottmeier C, Agnon A, Al-Halbouni D, Alpert P, Corsmeier U, Dahm T et al (2016) New perspectives on interdisciplinary earth science at the Dead Sea: the DESERVE project. Sci Total Environ 544:1045–1058

    Google Scholar 

  • Langgut D, Yannai E, Taxel I, Agnon A, Marco S (2016) Resolving a historical earthquake date at Tel Yavneh (central Israel) using pollen seasonality. Palynology 40(2):145–159

    Google Scholar 

  • López-Merino L, Leroy SA, Eshel A, Epshtein V, Belmaker R, Bookman R (2016) Using palynology to re-assess the Dead Sea laminated sediments–indeed varves? Quat Sci Rev 140:49–66

    Google Scholar 

  • Lowe DR (1975) Water escape structures in coarse grained sediments. Sedimentology 22

  • Marco S, Klinger Y (2014) Review of on-fault palaeoseismic studies along the Dead Sea fault. In: Garfunkel Z, Ben-Avraham Z, Kagan E (eds) Dead Sea Transform Fault System: Reviews. Springer

  • Marco S, Stein M, Agnon A, Ron H (1996) Long-term earthquake clustering: a 50,000-year paleoseismic record in the Dead Sea Graben. J Geophys Res: Solid Earth 101(B3):6179–6191

    Google Scholar 

  • Marco S, Agnon A, Ellenblum R, Eidelman A, Basson U, Boas A (1997) 817-year-old walls offset sinistrally 2.1m by the Dead Sea Transform. Israel J Geodyn 24:11–20

    Google Scholar 

  • Marco S, Hartal M, Hazan N, Lev L, Stein M (2003) Archaeology, history, and geology of the A.D. 749 earthquake, dead sea transform. Geology 31(8):665–668

    Google Scholar 

  • Marco S, Rockwell TK, Heimann A, Frieslander U, Agnon A (2005) Late Holocene activity of the Dead Sea Transform revealed in 3D palaeoseismic trenches on the Jordan Gorge segment. Earth Planet Sci Lett 234(1):189–205

    Google Scholar 

  • Masson F, Hamiel Y, Agnon A, Klinger Y, Deprez A (2015) Variable behavior of the Dead Sea fault along the southern Arava segment from GPS measurements. Compt Rendus Geosci 347(4):161–169

    Google Scholar 

  • Meghraoui M, Gomez F, Sbeinati R, Van der Woerd J, Mouty M, Darkal AN, Radwan Y, Layyous I, Al Najjar H, Darawcheh R, Hijazi F, Al-Ghazzi R, Barazangi M (2003) Evidence for 830 years of seismic quiescence from palaeoseismology, archaeoseismology and historical seismicity along the Dead Sea fault in Syria. Earth Planet Sci Lett 210(1):35–52

    Google Scholar 

  • Mignan A, Danciu L, Giardini D (2015) Reassessment of the maximum fault rupture length of strike-slip earthquakes and inference on Mmax in the Anatolian Peninsula, Turkey. Seismol Res Lett 86(3):890–900

    Google Scholar 

  • Migowski C, Agnon A, Bookman R, Negendank JF, Stein M (2004) Recurrence pattern of Holocene earthquakes along the Dead Sea transform revealed by varve-counting and radiocarbon dating of lacustrine sediments. Earth Planet Sci Lett 222(1):301–314

    Google Scholar 

  • Molin D (1995) Considerations on the assessment of macroseismic intensity. Ann Geofis 38:5–6

    Google Scholar 

  • Nemer T, Meghraoui M (2006) Evidence of coseismic ruptures along the Roum fault (Lebanon): a possible source for the AD 1837 earthquake. J Struct Geol 28(8):1483–1495

    Google Scholar 

  • Nemer T, Meghraoui M, Khair K (2008) The Rachaya-Serghaya fault system (Lebanon): evidence of coseismic ruptures, and the AD 1759 earthquake sequence. J Geophys Res Solid Earth 113(B5)

  • Panzera F, Lombardo G, Rigano R (2011) Use of different approaches to estimate seismic hazard: the study cases of Catania and Siracusa, Italy. Boll Geofis Teor Appl 52(4)

  • Panzera F, Zechar JD, Vogfjörd KS, Eberhard DA (2016) A revised earthquake catalogue for South Iceland. Pure Appl Geophys 173(1):97–116

    Google Scholar 

  • Pasolini C, Gasperini P, Albarello D, Lolli B, D’Amico V (2008) The attenuation of seismic intensity in Italy, part I: theoretical and empirical backgrounds. Bull Seismol Soc Am 98(2):682–691

    Google Scholar 

  • Plassard J and Kogoj B (1981) Seismicite du Liban: catalogue des seismes ressentis. Collection des Annales-Mémoires de l’Observatoire de Ksara, 3rd edition, vol. 4

  • Poirier JP, Taher MA (1980) Historical seismicity in the near and Middle East, North Africa, and Spain from Arabic documents (VIIth-XVIIIth century). Bull Seismol Soc Am 70(6):2185–2201

    Google Scholar 

  • Reches ZE, Hoexter DF (1981) Holocene seismic and tectonic activity in the Dead Sea area. Tectonophysics 80(1):235–254

    Google Scholar 

  • Rovida AN, Locati M, Camassi RD, Lolli B and Gasperini P (2016) CPTI15, the 2015 version of the Parametric Catalog of Italian Earthquakes. https://emidius.mi.ingv.it/CPTI15-DBMI15/description_CPTI15.htm

  • Rucker JD & Niemi TM (2010) Historical earthquake catalogues and archaeological data: achieving synthesis without circular reasoning. In: Sintubin M, Stewart, IS, Niemi, T M, Altunel E (eds) Ancient earthquakes Geol. soc.Am. special paper. pp 97–106

  • Russell KW (1985) The earthquake chronology of Palestine and Northwest Arabia from the 2nd through the mid-8th century AD. BASOR 260:37–59

    Google Scholar 

  • Salamon A (2010) Patterns of seismic sequences in the Levant—interpretation of historical seismicity. J Seismol 14(2):339–367

    Google Scholar 

  • Salamon A, Rockwell T, Ward SN, Guidoboni E, Comastri A (2007) Tsunami hazard evaluation of the eastern Mediterranean: historical analysis and selected modeling. Bull Seismol Soc Am 97(3):705–724

    Google Scholar 

  • Sbeinati, M.R., Darawcheh, R. & Mouty, M., 2005. The historical earthquakes of Syria: an analysis of large seismic events from 1365 B.C. to 1900 A.D., Ann Geofis, 48,347–435

  • Shebalin NV (1970) Intensity: on the statistical definition of the term. In Proc. X Ass. ESC, Leningrad, Acad. Sci. USSR, Soviet Geophysical Committee, Moscow

  • Sibol MS, Bollinger GA, Birch JB (1987) Estimation of magnitudes in central and eastern North America using intensity and felt area. Bull Seismol Soc Am 77(5):1635–1654

    Google Scholar 

  • Sieberg A (1932) Untersuchungen ueber Erdbeben und Bruchschollenbau im oestlichen Mittelmeersgebiet. Denkschr Mediz- Naturwiss Gesell Jena 2:184–224

    Google Scholar 

  • Sun R, Vaccari F, Marrara F, Panza GF (1998) The main features of the local geological conditions can explain the macroseismic intensity caused in Xiji-Langfu (Beijing) by the Ms = 7.7 Tangshan 1976 Earthquake. Pure Appl Geophys 152(3):507–521

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomas R, Parker ST, Niemi TM (2007) Structural damage from earthquakes in the second: ninth centuries at the archaeological site of Aila in Aqaba, Jordan. Bull Am Sch Orient Res:59–77

  • Wechsler N, Rockwell TK, Klinger Y, Stepancikova P, Kanari M, Marco S, Agnon A (2014) A paleoseismic record of earthquakes for the Dead Sea transform fault between the first and seventh centuries CE: nonperiodic behavior of a plate boundary fault. Bull Seismol Soc Am 104(3):1329–1347

    Google Scholar 

  • Wells DL, Coppersmith KJ (1994) New empirical relationships among magnitude, rupture length, rupture width, rupture area, and surface displacement. Bull Seismol Soc Am 84(4):974–1002

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams JB, Schwab MJ, Brauer A (2012) An early first-century earthquake in the Dead Sea. Int Geol Rev 54(10):1219–1228

    Google Scholar 

  • Willis B (1928) Earthquakes in the Holy Land. Bull Seismol Soc Am 18:73–103

    Google Scholar 

  • Woessner J, Laurentiu D, Giardini D, Crowley H, Cotton F, Grünthal G et al (2015) The 2013 European seismic hazard model: key components and results. Bull Earthq Eng 13(12):3553–3596

    Google Scholar 

  • Wood HO, Neumann F (1931) Modified Mercalli intensity scale of 1931. Bull Seismol Soc Am 21(4):277–283

    Google Scholar 

  • Zare M, Amini H, Yazdi P, Sesetyan K, Demircioglu MB, Kalafat D et al (2014) Recent developments of the Middle East catalog. J Seismol 18(4):749–772

    Google Scholar 

  • Zilberman E, Amit R, Porat N, Enzel Y, Avner U (2005) Surface ruptures induced by the devastating 1068 AD earthquake in the southern Arava valley, Dead Sea Rift, Israel. Tectonophysics 408(1):79–99

    Google Scholar 

  • Zohar M, Salamon A, Rubin R (2016) Reappraised list of historical earthquakes that affected Israel and its close surroundings. J Seismol 20(30):971–985

    Google Scholar 

  • Zohar M, Salamon A and Rubin R (2017) Earthquake damage history in Israel and its close surrounding - evaluation of spatial and temporal patterns: Tectonophysics

  • Zuhair H, McKnight S, Eaton D (2015) Historical seismicity of the Jordan Dead Sea Transform region and seismotectonic implications. Arab J Geosci 8(6):4039–4055

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Ricardo Monteiro and Paola Ceresa for several stimulating discussions, which motivated the work described in this paper. We thank Jefferson Williams for reading an earlier version of this manuscript.

Funding

The first author was funded by the Doctoral Program of the University School of Advanced Studies IUSS Pavia (Italy). The fourth author received a scholarship from the Erasmus Mundus Masters in Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Seismology Consortium (MEEES).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University School of Advanced Studies IUSS Pavia, Pavia, Italy

    Iason Grigoratos

  2. National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (OGS), Udine, Italy

    Valerio Poggi

  3. ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Laurentiu Danciu & Graciela Rojo

Authors
  1. Iason Grigoratos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Valerio Poggi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Laurentiu Danciu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Graciela Rojo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Iason Grigoratos.

Additional information

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Article Highlights

• We reviewed 244 earthquakes mentioned in historical records, geological investigations, and archaeological studies.

• We list parametric information for 93 earthquakes with magnitude greater than 5 that occurred between 31 BC and 1900.

• Our catalog lists several earthquakes with magnitude greater than 6 that are absent from previous compilations.

Electronic supplementary material

ESM 1

(DOCX 24 kb)

ESM 2

(DOCX 73 kb)

ESM 3

(DOCX 50 kb)

ESM 4

(XLSX 55 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Grigoratos, I., Poggi, V., Danciu, L. et al. An updated parametric catalog of historical earthquakes around the Dead Sea Transform Fault Zone. J Seismol 24, 803–832 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10950-020-09904-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10950-020-09904-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation