Yossef H Hatzor

The relationships between tectonic paleostresses and major fault systems are analyzed for the Gilboa' region. The Gilboa' is a folded block on the western margins of the Dead Sea transform which has been deformed and uplifted at least since the Miocene. The tectonic paleostresses in the Gilboa' were determined by inversion of slip striations along small faults measured in the field and from the trends of basaltic dikes. One state of stress dominated the Gilboa' region since the Miocene; the principal axes of the calculated stress tensor are: σ₁ at 0°/122°, σ₂ vertical and σ₃ at 0°/032°. This stress fits well with the trends of the Syrian Arc folds in the Gilboa' and its is compatible with the observed normal slip along the Gilboa' fault. However, this stress is incompatible with the either left-lateral slip or normal faulting along the Dead Sea system. Possible mechanisms to resolve this incompatibility are discussed.