The Oligo-Miocene deepwater system of the Levant Basin

Figure 31: Stratigraphic section along the Qishon-Zevulun Graben. Note the absence of Early Pliocene sediments in the QishonYam 1 well, where Late Pliocene sediments overlie a section penetrated between 1,200 and 1,550 m of alternating anhydriteand marl with a mixed and chaotic assemblage of Oligocene to Messinian fauna. Based on the above, it is suggested that (1)the alternating marl and anhydrite interval is a slumped pile of Messinian sediments with reworked older rock debris and faunalelements; (2) the absence of Early Pliocene sediments in the Qishon Yam 1 well is similarly the result of down slope slumping.This interpretation disagrees with the Oligocene age assigned to the evaporites by Schattner et al. (2006). The evaporites andoolitic limestones penetrated in the Shefa Yamim boreholes are correlated with the Gesher and Bira evaporites and ooliticlimestones of the northern Jordan Valley, thus providing an evidence for the coeval deposition of the Dead Sea Rift evaporateswith the Messinian salinity crisis. Datum: MSL.Early Pliocene0mPleistocene5001000Legend:ShaleMarlstoneLimestoneChalk1500 15501590TD 1800mSandstoneConglomeratestratigraphic contacthiatus or unconformitySlumpedMavqiimTD 1027mTD 300mTD 299mOolitic limestoneGypsum or AnhydriteBeeri GypsumY a f o F m .Qishon Yam 1Shefa-Yamim 5Canusa 9 Shefa-Yamim 2 Shefa-Yamim 3Y a f oTD 291mEn ZetimSenonianundefinedBet GuvrinLate Eocene-Early MioceneMareshaMid. EoceneAdulamE. EoceneLate Pliocene & PleistoceneSlumpedlower YafoInterbeded marls & reefal calcareniteof Miocene agePattish ReefEarly MessinianGesherBira20km 3.6km 1.9km 3.9km36058073088512001245- 54 -