Geosciences Dept. Seminar: From evaporation to evaporites: Novel observations and concepts from the Dead Sea, the modern analog for deep evaporitic basins

Abstract: 

Thick salt (halite) sequences are common in the Earth’s geologic record; they were accumulated in deep perennial hypersaline water bodies, saturated to halite and subjected to negative water balance. For decades, evaporites research gained insights from exploring modern shallow hypersaline environments, including the relations between the hydroclimatic forcing and the deposited halite layers. However, there is a knowledge gap in understanding limnological controls on accreted halite sequences in deep water bodies. Such water bodies rarely exist today on Earth, but were common through Earth geological history. The Dead Sea is currently the closest and probably the only modern analog for such environments. I will present new findings and insights from a coordinated set of observational studies at the Dead Sea on evaporation, limnology and sedimentology. "From evaporation to evaporites" in deep hypersaline basin is very different than in shallow basins, subjected to the same atmospheric forcing, due to the different interactions with atmosphere and due to the stratification of the lake's temperature, salinity, density and saturation. Finally, the salt deposits are arranged differently in deep basins as compared to shallow basins – we will discuss the implications of these findings.

Seminar Organizer: Prof. Eyal Haifetz