Late Pleistocene travertine deposits in the Jordan Valley—Dead Sea area: lithofacies, sedimentological properties and depositional environments.

Late Pleistocene travertine deposits along the Jordan Valley and the north-east margin of the Dead Sea were identified at three locations: Deir Alla, Suwayma and Az Zara areas. The main objectives were to study in detail their lithofacies, sedimentological properties, depositional environments and morphological characteristics. The travertine lithofacies at Deir Alla and Suwayma consist of paper-thin rafts, shrub, crystalline crust, reed, coated gas bubbles, palaeosols and conglomerate-breccia travertines. Az Zara lithofacies consist of reed travertine, shrub travertine, stromatolite, paper-thin rafts travertine and pebbly travertine. The Deir Alla travertines were subjected to meteoric diagenesis, compared with meteogene diagenetic processes which affected the Suwayma travertines. The inactive superambient meteogene Deir Alla travertines were formed in terraced and smooth slope depositional environments. The Suwayma travertines were deposited at fissure-ridge and depression depositional environments. In contrast, the Az Zara travertines were deposited in shallow incised channels, palustrine and fluvial environments associated with the Az Zara springs. The tectonically active Dead Sea transform fault controlled the variable depositional environments of the travertine facies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]