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Identification of sinkhole development mechanism based on a combined geophysical study in Nahal Hever South area (Dead Sea coast of Israel)

  • Original Article
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Environmental Geology

Abstract

Seismic refraction, magnetic resonance sounding (MRS), and the transient electromagnetic (TEM) method were applied to investigate the geological and hydrogeological conditions in the Nahal Hever South sinkhole development area at the Dead Sea (DS) coast of Israel. Microgravity and MRS results reliably reveal large karst cavity in the central part of investigated area. The map of the seismic velocity shows that sinkholes in Nahal Hever can be divided into two major groups: sinkholes close to the salt edge and sinkholes over compact salt formations between a few tens to a hundred meters from the major cavern. The present study shows that the formation of sinkholes of the first group is caused by soil collapsing into the cavern. In the area occupied by sinkholes of the second group, karst was not detected either by MRS or by seismic diffraction methods. TEM results reveal shallow clay layer saturated with DS brine underlain sinkholes of this group. It allows suggestion that the water drainage and intensive water circulation during rain events wash out fine rock particles from the unsaturated zone into the pre-existing cavern, initiating the formation of sinkholes of the second group. Karst development takes place at a very low bulk resistivity (<1 Ω m) of the DS aquifer, attesting to the fact that pores are filled with a highly saline solution. Refilling of the karstic cavities with collapsing and flushed soil slows down sinkhole development in the area. The sinkhole formation cycle at the site is estimated at 10 years. Sinkhole development throughout the studied area is triggered by a drop in the level of the DS, which reduces the head of the confined aquifer and the strength of the overlain sediments.

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Notes

  1. Yechieli, GSI report no. GSI/08/2002 (in Hebrew).

  2. Volman et al. (2003), Stage B, Report GSI/42/2003 (in Hebrew).

  3. Krovi et al., GSI report no. GSI/20/04.

  4. Abelson et al., GSI report no. TR-GSI/07/2007 (in Hebrew).

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Acknowledgments

Our study was sponsored by the NATO “Security through Science” Program (project SfP no. 981128). We are also grateful to the Israel Ministry of Infrastructure for supporting the study. The authors wish to thank Dr. U. Frieslander for his contribution to the project. We are grateful to the GII staff for the efficient organization of the fieldwork. We wish to thank Drs. Y. Yechieli and M. Abelson, who are in charge of the sinkhole problem at the Geological Survey of Israel, for providing geological materials about the investigated areas. We wish to thank Dr. P. Milanovich and Prof. A. Frumkin for their help in interpreting the data. We are grateful for the help of Dr. K. Chalikakis (IRD) in the carrying out the fieldwork. We are grateful to Mr. Y. Goldman and Mr. E. Raz for assistance in data collection. Finally, the original manuscript was substantially improved owing to the constructive criticism and edition of the anonymous reviewer.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geophysical Institute of Israel, 6, Haba’al Shem-Tov Str., PO Box 182, 71100, Lod, Israel

    Michael Ezersky

  2. Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD-LTHE), BP53, 38041, Grenoble Cedex 9, France

    Anatoly Legchenko

  3. Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, UMR 7619 Sisyphe, 4, Place Jussieu, 75252, Paris Cedex 05, France

    Christian Camerlynck

  4. Al-Balqa Applied University, Salt, 19117, Jordan

    Abdallah Al-Zoubi

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  1. Michael Ezersky
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  2. Anatoly Legchenko
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  3. Christian Camerlynck
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  4. Abdallah Al-Zoubi
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Correspondence to Michael Ezersky.

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Ezersky, M., Legchenko, A., Camerlynck, C. et al. Identification of sinkhole development mechanism based on a combined geophysical study in Nahal Hever South area (Dead Sea coast of Israel). Environ Geol 58, 1123–1141 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-008-1591-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-008-1591-7

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