RADIOCARBON RESERVOIR AGES IN THE HOLOCENE DEAD SEA

Radiocarbon ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 1453-1473
Author(s):  
Nurit Weber ◽  
Boaz Lazar ◽  
Ofra Stern ◽  
George Burr ◽  
Ittai Gavrieli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Dead Sea ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Radiocarbon Age ◽  
The Past ◽  
Organic Debris ◽  
The Dead ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Continuous Deposition

ABSTRACTThe sources and fate of radiocarbon (14C) in the Dead Sea hypersaline solution are evaluated with 14C measurements in organic debris and primary aragonite collected from exposures of the Holocene Ze’elim Formation. The reservoir age (RA) is defined as the difference between the radiocarbon age of the aragonite at time of its precipitation (representing lakeʼs dissolved inorganic carbon [DIC]) and the age of contemporaneous organic debris (representing atmospheric radiocarbon). Evaluation of the data for the past 6000 yr from Dead Sea sediments reveal that the lakeʼs RA decreased from 2890 yr at 6 cal kyr BP to 2300 yr at present. The RA lies at ~2400 yr during the past 3000 yr, when the lake was characterized by continuous deposition of primary aragonite, which implies a continuous supply of freshwater-bicarbonate into the lake. This process reflects the overall stability of the hydrological-climate conditions in the lakeʼs watershed during the late Holocene where bicarbonate originated from dissolution of the surface cover in the watershed that was transported to the Dead Sea by the freshwater runoff. An excellent correlation (R2=0.98) exists between aragonite ages and contemporaneous organic debris, allowing the estimation of ages of various primary deposits where organic debris are not available.

Dead Sea Levels during the Bronze and Iron Ages

Radiocarbon ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 237-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisa Joy Kagan ◽  
Dafna Langgut ◽  
Elisabetta Boaretto ◽  
Frank Herald Neumann ◽  
Mordechai Stein
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Lake Level ◽  
Dead Sea ◽  
Sea Levels ◽  
The Past ◽  
Organic Debris ◽  
Ancient Israel ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Dead

The history of lake-level changes at the Dead Sea during the Holocene was determined mainly by radiocarbon dating of terrestrial organic debris. This article reviews the various studies that have been devoted over the past 2 decades to defining the Dead Sea levels during the Bronze and Iron Ages (≃5.5 to 2.5 ka cal BP) and adds new data and interpretation. In particular, we focus on research efforts devoted to refining the chronology of the sedimentary sequence in the Ze'elim Gully, a key site of paleoclimate investigation in the European Research Council project titled Reconstructing Ancient Israel. The Bronze and Iron Ages are characterized by significant changes in human culture, reflected in archaeological records in which sharp settlement oscillations over relatively short periods of time are evident. During the Early Bronze, Intermediate Bronze, Middle Bronze, and Late Bronze Ages, the Dead Sea saw significant level fluctuations, reaching in the Middle Bronze an elevation of ≃370 m below mean sea level (bmsl), and declining in the Late Bronze to below 414 m bmsl. At the end of the Late Bronze Age and upon the transition to the Iron Age, the lake recovered slightly and rose to ≃408 m bmsl. This recovery reflected the resumption of freshwater activity in the Judean Hills, which was likely accompanied by more favorable hydrological-environmental conditions that seem to have facilitated the wave of Iron Age settlement in the region.

Late Quaternary Geological History of the Dead Sea Area, Israel

1993 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Yechieli ◽  
M. Magaritz ◽  
Y. Levy ◽  
U. Weber ◽  
U. Kafri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Thick Layer ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Dead Sea ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
Geological History ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Dead ◽  
Sea Area

AbstractA 34.5 m borehole, which was drilled near the Dead Sea coast (altitude -394 m) in the southern part of the fan delta of Wadi Zeelim, reveals the geological history of that area from the latest Pleistocene to present. The depositional time frame is based on six 14C dates and two U-Th dates. An erosional (or nondepositional) period is implied by the hiatus between 21,100 yr B.P. (U-Th age, depth 33 m) and 11,315 yr B.P. (14C age, depth 32 m). A subsequent arid phase is recorded by a 6.5-m-thick layer of halite; based on 14C dates this phase relates to the abrupt Younger Dryas cold period reported in temperate to polar regions. The fragility of the environment in this region is indicated by the fact that the region experienced such a severe, short aridification phase (less than 1000 yr), evidence of which is found widely in the desert fringes of the Middle East and North Africa. The aragonite found in most of the Holocene section indicates that the well site was covered by the lake for most of the Holocene. Exceptions are the intervals at 0-3 and 10-14 m depths which represent low stands of the lake.

A 45 kyr laminae record from the Dead Sea: Implications for basin erosion and floods recurrence

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Waldmann ◽  
Yin Lu ◽  
Revital Bookman ◽  
Shmulik Marco
Keyword(s):  
High Frequency ◽  
Lake Level ◽  
Dead Sea ◽  
Last Deglaciation ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Lamina Thickness ◽  
The Last Deglaciation ◽  
The Dead ◽  
Basin Erosion ◽  
The Last Glacial

<p>Recording and analyzing how climate change impacts flood recurrence, basin erosion, and sedimentation can improve our understanding of these systems. The aragonite-detritus laminae couplets comprising the lacustrine formations that were deposited in the Dead Sea Basin are considered as faithful monitors of the freshwater supply to the lakes. We count a total of ~5600 laminae couplets deposited in the last 45 kyr (MIS3-MIS1) at the Dead Sea depocenter, which encompass the upper 141.6 m of the ICDP Core 5017-1. The present study shows that aragonite and detritus laminae are thinner and occur at high frequency during MIS 3-2, while they are much thicker and less frequent during MIS 1. By analyzing multiple climate-connected factors, we propose that significant lake-level drops, enhanced dust input, and low vegetative cover in the drainage basin during the last deglaciation (22-11.6 ka) have considerably increased erodible materials in the Dead Sea watershed. We find a decoupling existed between the significant lake-level drop/lake size reduction and lamina thickness change during the last deglaciation. We argue that during the last glacial and the Holocene, the variation of lamina thickness at the multiple-millennium scale was not controlled directly by the lake-level/size change. We interpret this decoupling implying the transport capacity of flash-floods is low and might be saturated by the oversupply of erodible materials, and indicating a transport-limited regime during the time period. We suggest that the observed thickness and frequency distribution of aragonite-detritus laminae points to the high frequency of small-magnitude floods during the last glacial period, in contrast to low frequency, but large-magnitude floods during the Holocene.</p>

scholarly journals The Variations in the Level of Angiotensin II Between Subjects in Ajloun City and the Dead Sea Impact Hypertension Parameters

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 455
Author(s):  
Taghreed A. Al-Refaai ◽  
Basel Naeem Fandy Al-Rawashdeh ◽  
Mai Abu Salem ◽  
Dyana Blokh ◽  
Reham Mrayat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Angiotensin Ii ◽  
Beta Blockers ◽  
Biological Effects ◽  
Dead Sea ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Great Chance ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The World ◽  
The Dead ◽  
The Difference

Introduction: Jordan has a unique array of diversity among which having the deepest level in the world, the Dead Sea and an area with high attitudes in Ajloun City which gives us a great chance to study the biological effects on hypertension and possible impacts in selecting the appropriate treatment. Study objectives: to explore the impacts of variations of attitudes in hypertension and the level of beta blockers through studying the level of angiotensin II among study participants and to investigate if the patterns of anti-hypertensive treatments are impacted. Methods and subjects: a cross-sectional study design was carried out among participants from the two different areas. From each area, a total of 500 participants were recruited and surveyed through a questionnaire. Blood pressure was measured for all participants and blood samples were withdrawn to carry out the testing of angiotensin II. Data were analyzed statistically based on the appropriate software including excel and SPSS. The relationships were examined according to independent T-Test. Significance was considered according to p0.05). On the other hand, heart parameters including SBP, DBP, MBP, pulse, and PCV all of which were significantly higher in Ajloun than in the Dead Sea (p=0.001) for all selected variables. The level of angiotensin II was 12.08 ± 5.19 pg/ml in Ajloun and this was higher than that of the Dead Sea (8.84 ± 4.65 pg/ml). The difference in the mean of angiotensin II was statistically significant (p=0.039). Conclusion: the results of the present study showed that living in high altitude compared with the lowest area in the world (the Dead Sea) exposes persons for the risks of hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases. Our findings may lead to better therapeutic strategies particularly when to prescribe angiotensin II based therapies.

Yizhar Hirschfeld. Qumran in Context, Reassessing the Archaeological Evidence. Peabody, MA: Henderson Publishers, 2004. 220 pp; 136 figures.

AJS Review ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 373-376
Author(s):  
Rami Arav
Keyword(s):  
Dead Sea Scrolls ◽  
Dead Sea ◽  
Biblical Studies ◽  
Archaeological Remains ◽  
Archaeological Evidence ◽  
The Past ◽  
French School ◽  
The Dead

About 35,000 books and articles have been published thus far on the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS). The vast majority deal with the literature found in the eleven caves in the vicinity of Qumran and only a few deal with the archaeological remains of Khirbet Qumran nearby. The site was exhaustively excavated a few times in the past fifty-four years. The first that also determined the nature of its interpretation was carried out during 1951 to 1956 by Fr. Roland de Vaux from the French school of biblical studies at Jerusalem, the Ecole Biblique. Most of the site was unearthed during this excavation. The latest excavations were carried out in the past ten years and thus far with extremely meager publications.

scholarly journals Radiocarbon Chronology of the Holocene Dead Sea: Attempting a Regional Correlation

Radiocarbon ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 1179-1189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amos Frumkin ◽  
Galit Kadan ◽  
Yehouda Enzel ◽  
Yehuda Eyal
Keyword(s):  
Dead Sea ◽  
Salt Diapir ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Sea Levels ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Regional Correlation ◽  
Basin Scale ◽  
The Dead ◽  
Radiocarbon Chronology ◽  
High Level

Holocene sedimentary and geomorphic sequences from the Dead Sea region, Israel, are compared by correlation of more than 50 radiocarbon dates. The 14C dates provided the chronological basis that enabled us to detect basin-scale events that are hard to ascertain in single-site records. This paper is the first attempt to compare different Holocene records from several sites along the Dead Sea, based on their chrono-stratigraphy. Included is the first publication of the paleoclimatic record of the Nahal Darga ephemeral stream valley. Such a regional compilation is needed, because only the integration and comparative evaluation of several records can produce a reliable climatic history by establishing the height of former Dead Sea levels that may be complicated by tectonics and the rise of Mount Sedom. A relatively high level of the Holocene Dead Sea occurred during the mid-Holocene around 4400 BP or about 3000 cal BCE after calibration. The lake level fell sharply around 4000 BP, i.e. 2500 cal BCE, and later fluctuated close to early 20th century levels. The 14C-based correlation is also used to estimate the rising rates of the Mount Sedom salt diapir that are apparently smaller than 10 mm per year.

scholarly journals Controls on the Radiocarbon Reservoir Ages in the Modern Dead Sea Drainage System and in the Last Glacial Lake Lisan

Radiocarbon ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 969-982 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reuven Belmaker ◽  
Mordechai Stein ◽  
Yoseph Yechieli ◽  
Boaz Lazar
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Dead Sea ◽  
Glacial Lake ◽  
Chemical Compositions ◽  
Exchange Reactions ◽  
Last Glacial ◽  
The Dead ◽  
The Last Glacial

Carbon isotopic and chemical compositions of freshwaters feeding the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee (i.e. perennial streams and floods along their stream profiles) were used to constrain the factors that dictate the reservoir ages (RA) of these lakes and the last glacial Lake Lisan. Runoff waters are characterized by high Ca2+, Mg2+, alkalinity, and radiocarbon contents (67–108 pMC), suggesting a major role for 14C atmospheric exchange reactions (carbonate rock dissolution alone will result in lower pMC values). These exchange processes were corroborated by dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and δ13C trends throughout the flood profile. During the evolution from rain to incipient runoff, the 14CDIC of the water increases and is accompanied by a DIC increase and δ13CDIC decrease, suggesting an addition of soil CO2, which is characterized by light δ13C and high 14C content. When incipient runoffs evolve to floods, the opposite trends are observed.It appears that the Sea of Galilee, the Dead Sea, and its last glacial precursor, Lake Lisan, maintained uniform but specific RAs of 0.8 ± 0.1, 2.3 ± 0.1, and 1.6 ± 0.3 kyr, respectively. However, applying the 14C contents of modern Dead Sea water sources to the water mass balance of Lake Lisan reveals that the RA of Lake Lisan is higher than that predicted by the mass balance. This discrepancy may reflect enhanced dissolution of carbonatic dust, changes in the amount of 14C exchanged in Judean Desert floods, or variations in the contribution of brine and saline springs. Furthermore, the small fluctuations in the Lisan RA (1.6 ± 0.3 kyr) may reflect small, short-term changes in the relative contributions of these sources.

Temporal and Spatial Patterns of Seismic Activity Associated with the Dead Sea Transform (DST) during the Past 3000 Yr

2019 ◽  
Vol 91 (1) ◽  
pp. 207-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Motti Zohar
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Patterns ◽  
Historical Earthquakes ◽  
Dead Sea ◽  
Eighth Century ◽  
Historical Seismicity ◽  
Dead Sea Transform ◽  
Temporal And Spatial Patterns ◽  
The Past ◽  
Temporal And Spatial ◽  
The Dead

Abstract Historical reports of earthquakes occurring before the twentieth century along the Dead Sea Transform (DST) are available for the past 3000 yr. Most of them are organized in various catalogs, reappraisals, and lists. Using a comprehensive and consistent compilation of these reports, the historical seismicity associated with the DST as a complete tectonic unit was examined. The compilation, supported by paleoseismic and archeoseismic evidence, resulted in 174 reliable historical earthquakes and 112 doubtful ones. The reliable earthquakes, along with 42 post‐nineteenth century instrumental earthquakes, are an up‐to‐date evaluation of the DST seismicity starting from the mid‐eighth century B.C.E. until 2015 C.E. Additionally, the scenario of historical earthquakes such as the 363 C.E. and 1033 C.E. events was resolved. The characterization of temporal and spatial patterns of DST seismicity, classifying them into four geographical zones, raised that most of the northern destructive earthquakes are clustered while clustering at the central and southern zones is less abundant.

scholarly journals The Book of Joshua—Part 1: Texts and Versions

2005 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonard Greenspoon
Keyword(s):  
Dead Sea Scrolls ◽  
Dead Sea ◽  
The Past ◽  
Recent Scholarship ◽  
English Translations ◽  
The Dead ◽  
Textual Traditions

Over the past few decades there has been increased interest in, and research on, the text of the book of Joshua in the Masoretic tradition, the Septuagint, and other ancient versions, as well as the fragmentary remains from the Dead Sea Scrolls. This article provides a discussion of the ancient evidence and an analysis of the major modern theories. English translations of the various textual traditions are compared and discussed. Although the differences are not as extensive as in Jeremiah, and the Qumran material is relatively scant, contemporary scholars have devised a number of intriguing theories to explain the differences and to highlight their significance within the literary, textual, and theological development of this important biblical book. This article is the first half of a two-part treatment discussing recent scholarship on the book of Joshua.

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