{"id":8556,"date":"2026-08-28T14:19:54","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T14:19:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/toponomastics.com\/en\/?p=8556"},"modified":"2026-09-16T14:09:08","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T14:09:08","slug":"aqaba-deluge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toponomastics.com\/en\/aqaba-deluge\/","title":{"rendered":"Aqaba Deluge.. a Lost History"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The convergent indications, textual strata, onomastic residues, and the fragmentary archaeological horizon, collectively imply that the northeastern littoral and eastern hinterland of the Gulf of Aqaba once witnessed a circumscribed prehistoric inundation, a phenomenon faintly echoed in later inscriptional and toponymic memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Gulf of Aqaba forms a long, narrow, and exceptionally deep<\/mark> embayment at the northern terminus of the Red Sea, positioned between the Sinai Peninsula to the west and the Arabian Peninsula to the east. Extending roughly 160\u2013180 km in length and 14\u201326 km in width, it reaches a maximum depth of approximately 1,850 m, making it one of the most profound marine depressions in the world<\/mark>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Morphologically, the Gulf of Aqaba constitutes a steep\u2011walled, elongated basin\u2014an abrupt geological chasm in stark contrast to its sister gulf, the Gulf of Suez, whose depth rarely exceeds 100 m. The Aqaba basin plunges nearly 4 km below the summits of the surrounding mountains, producing a dramatic vertical relief unmatched elsewhere along the Red Sea margins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The geological distinctiveness of Aqaba basin arises from the fact that it is not a single continuous trough but a chain of active pull\u2011apart basins<\/mark> generated along the southern segment of the Dead Sea Transform. As the Arabian Plate migrates northward relative to the African Plate, the crust is stretched, fractured, and displaced. This tectonic motion causes the seafloor to drop sharply<\/mark>, carving out a deep, narrow rift that functions as a marine corridor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Gulf of Aqaba basin is completely unique because it is not just one giant bowl, but a collection of multiple active pull-apart basins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The basin\u2019s extreme depth<\/mark>, enclosed configuration, and hyper\u2011arid surroundings promote intense evaporation, resulting in highly saline waters<\/mark>. Structurally, the seafloor is divided into three principal sub\u2011basins, (Northern, Central and Southern sub\u2011basin), each containing distinct deep points:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A.<\/strong> Northern Basin \u2013 Eilat Deep, reaching ~900 m
B.<\/strong> Central Basin \u2013 Aragonese Deep, the deepest point at ~1,850 m \u2013 Arnona Deep
C.<\/strong> Southern Basin \u2013 Dakar Deep, ~1,300 m \u2013 Tiran Deep, ~1,300 m \u2013 Hume Deep<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Because these basins are deep, trapped, and surrounded by a scorching desert, the water evaporates rapidly, making it incredibly salty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Significant seismic hazard zone<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A recent comprehensive study, \u201cThe Seismogenic Characteristics of the Gulf of Aqaba Zone\u201d<\/em> (Journal of King Saud University, 2024), delineates three principal sub\u2011seismogenic domains within the Gulf, each aligned with a distinct structural fault system. These zones\u2014the Aragonese, Arnona, and Aqaba faults\u2014correspond to the pull\u2011apart basin architecture that characterizes the Gulf of Aqaba\u2019s tectonic framework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The study examines how earthquakes occur in the Gulf of Aqaba and evaluates the possible risks they pose to this gulf and the region to its east.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To do this, the researchers created an updated list of past earthquakes, all converted to the same moment\u2011magnitude scale. Using this catalogue, they applied statistical methods to estimate key measures of earthquake activity in the Gulf of Aqaba. These include the largest earthquake that might occur (Mmax), how often earthquakes of different sizes happen (\u03b2\u2011value), and the average yearly rate of earthquakes (\u03bb).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study divides the region into three main earthquake\u2011producing zones: the Aqaba fault, the Aragonese fault, and the Arnona fault.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The results show that ground shaking could reach about 385 cm\/s\u00b2<\/strong> (Richter) for an earthquake expected roughly once every 475 years (with a 10% chance of happening), 498 cm\/s\u00b2<\/strong> (Richter) for an event expected every 975 years (5% chance), and 688 cm\/s\u00b2<\/strong> (magnitude 6.5 to 7.0 on the Richter scale<\/mark><\/strong><\/em>) for an event expected every 2475 years (2% chance).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The response spectrum indicates that these strong ground motions occur mainly at high frequencies (between 5 and 10 Hz), which is important because soils and buildings near the Gulf may respond strongly to vibrations in this range. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall, the study shows that the Gulf of Aqaba is a major seismic hazard zone, (an area with a high risk of earthquakes). The Aragonese sub\u2011zone, in particular, could realistically produce an earthquake as large as magnitude 7.7 on the Richter scale<\/mark>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a possibility that the \u201cAragonese seismogenic zone\u201d could experience an earthquake with a maximum magnitude of 7.7, highlighting a significant seismic hazard in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1995 Gulf of Aqaba earthquake<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 1995 Gulf of Aqaba powerful earthquake occurred on November 22 at 06:15 local time and registered 7.3 on Richter scale. The epicenter of earthquake was located in the central segment of the Gulf, (Central Basin<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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USGS shakemap showing the intensity of the 1995 Gulf of Aqaba earthquake<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The earthquake was the largest event to occur on along the DST (Dead Sea Transform<\/em>) during the 20th century and was felt up to 600 km (370 mi) away. The period of aftershocks carried on for over a year with many exceeding magnitude 5. Within several hours of the mainshock a number of small earthquakes occurred along the DST 500 km (310 mi) north of the epicenter. Analysis of these earthquakes suggest that they may have been remotely triggered by the Gulf of Aqaba mainshock.
The Dead Sea fault system runs from the Red Sea north to a triple junction in south-central Turkey and consists of a main fault and several secondary faults. The fault system is at its widest and deepest in the gulf where a transition from proto-oceanic rifting to transform faulting occurs. Moving northward through Lebanon and Syria, where the DST is known as the Yammouneh fault, the trace follows a restraining bend and splits into several strands that include the Serghaya and Rachaya faults. These strands are believed to be the source of the devastating Near East earthquakes of 1759<\/a>.<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several studies in the 80s and 90s indicate that there were two or possibly three large earthquakes in the gulf region in the last 2000 years with magnitudes estimated to be 6.5\u20137.0 based on macroseismic data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\u00a01068 Near East earthquake<\/a>, was a pair of major earthquakes that occurred in 1068; the first of which whose epicentre was in the area of Tabuk.[4]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A recent geomorphological investigation, \u201cDiscovery of the Deep\u2011Sea NEOM Brine Pools in the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea\u201d<\/em> (Nature, 2022), identifies significant linkages between the Aqaba Brine Pools and regional geohazard processes, including earthquakes, tsunamis, and episodic flash\u2011flood events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this study, researchers used seafloor mapping and geophysical tools to identify a group of brine pools in the Gulf of Aqaba: one large pool about 10,000 m\u00b2 in size and three much smaller ones. They then collected sediment cores and samples of the brine itself to understand what these pools contain and how they formed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deep\u2011sea brine pools are extremely salty pockets of water on the seafloor. Because they contain no oxygen, no large animals can live in them or disturb the mud. This makes them excellent places for preserving layers of sediment just as they were originally deposited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main pool holds a well\u2011preserved record of at least 1,200 years. Its layers include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n