Subsurface geology of the southern Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee), Dead Sea Transform-Evidence from seismic reflection data.

The Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinneret) occupies the northern part of the 60-km-long Kinnarot-Bet Shean basin. The basin is inferred to be about 7 km deep based on gravity data, partly supported by findings in the Zemah-1 borehole drilled near the lake's southern shore. Seismic reflection data acquired onshore and in the lake lacks the penetration capacity to image such depths, due to the presence of basalt layers and equipment limitations. In this study we analyze data from a seismic survey conducted in the lake in 1997, which we show reveals a pattern that suggests an ancient fluvial plain in the southwest part of the lake and may also point to an old outlet of the Jordan River to the north of the present one. The Pleistocene depositional pattern in the south part of the lake comprises northward-sloping sedimentary prisms, which are attributed to upwelling of the Zemah diapiric structure to the south and the Kursi depression to the northeast. No clear faulting is evident within the Pleistocene section in the south part of the lake between the basin's marginal faults. This conclusion bears important implications for the ongoing tectonic evolution of the basin and for seismic risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]