Indicators of faulting events and periods of quiescence in desert alluvial fans

Abstract

Abstract The main objective of the present paper is to present an integrated approach to the study of faulting stages in coarse alluvial deposits. The study site is the alluvial fan of Nahal Shehoret, presently under an extremely arid regime. The exposure of fault scarps on the fan surfaces enables the identification of several geomorphic indicators employed in analysing and separating faulting events and periods of quiescence: (a) the nature of fault scarp topography; (b) soil catenary development on fault scarps; (c) buried paleosols in alluvial deposits; (d) colluvial bodies; (e) rotated clasts along fault planes. These indicators enable us to determine, at all sites studied, the total amount of displacement, to separate faulting events and the amount of their displacement per event, and to evaluate scarp stability and the duration of periods of tectonic quiescence.