Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences

The mountains of South Sinai form the uplifted eastern margin of the Suez Rift, serving as a key example of continental breakup. Using advanced low-temperature thermochronology and LA-ICPMS analyses at BGU, we reconstruct the tectonic and geomorphic evolution of this region. (Itai Haviv research group; Morag et al., 2019; EPSL).

A splaying aggregate of euhedral crystals of epidote filling a miarolitic cavity in plagiogranite - Troodos ophiolite, Kyperounta, Cyprus (photomicrograph; XPL).

Intense iron-oxide staining of Cambrian sandstones (485–540 million years old) of the Umm Ishrin Formation in the Colored Canyon, southern Jordan. Equivalent sandstones are exposed at Petra, Wadi Rum, the Arnon River canyon, and in Israel in the Shkhoret and Netafim formations, including the Red Canyon near Eilat.

Methane bubbles trapped under the frozen layer of Big Trail Lake near Fairbanks, Alaska. Millions of thermokarst lakes form in the Arctic as permafrost thaws. This organic-rich permafrost stores ~1,600 billion tonnes of carbon, and its thaw enables microbial decomposition and methane production. Methane, ~30 times more potent than carbon dioxide, creates a positive feedback that amplifies global warming.

Geophysical data from the eastern Mediterranean reveal remnants of an ancient ocean, possibly the oldest on Earth. Magnetic anomalies along ship tracks and satellite-derived gravity data together indicate crust formed by northwest–southeast–oriented seafloor spreading at a mid-ocean ridge.

Landscape evolution models examine how Earth’s surface responds to environmental change. The DAC (Divide And Capture) model simulates drainage reorganization and divide migration, here illustrating an asymmetric mountain range formed by long-term tectonic tilting and sustained divide migration.

Field sampling of benthic foraminifera associated with Halophila stipulacea seagrass meadows in the Gulf of Aqaba. This work is part of a recent study highlighting the role of tropical seagrass habitats in supporting diverse foraminiferal communities and their sensitivity to environmental change. Sigal Abramovich, Sarit Ashckenazi-Polivoda, Gilad Antler

​Halite crystal crust deposited via evaporation at the Red Lagoon, Lynch strait, The Dead Sea

Sample from the Earth’s mantle