New structural model of strike-slip tectonics of the Gulf of Aqaba, southern Dead Sea Transform

The Dead Sea Transform is an active left lateral, strike-slip plate boundary. The Gulf of Aqaba corresponds to its southern segment, where the largest amount of opening is observed. The gulf itself is deformed by a set of en echelon faults which are bounded by normal faults. These en echelon faults show structural styles of Riedel shears which are typically observed in strike-slip tectonics. However, their orientation is the opposite to the one observed in well described models or natural cases. In this study, we compare a compiled dataset to analogue models which simulate the displacement in various strike-slip systems. This comparison to a sandbox model highlights the importance of the tectonic load in a strike-slip fault system. The model is composed of two base plates with only one straight velocity discontinuity. X-Ray Computed Tomography is used as a technique to carry out a 4D analysis of internal fault structures of the model. The 10°-transtensional model generates a set of Riedel shear faults, which merge during the later stages of deformation. The 30°-transtensional tectonic load shows two major steep bounding faults with a dip-slip component and a set of en echelon faults - opposite Riedel shears in between them. A higher amount of transtension rotates the classic Riedel shear faults to the opposite position. This fault pattern is very similar to the one observed in the Gulf of Aqaba, where the internal fault system is composed of opposite Riedel shears bounded by normal faults. These observations can increase the understanding of the structural styles seen in the Gulf of Aqaba. Moreover, our study describes a new strike-slip fault system.