LATE QUATERNARY EARTHQUAKE CHRONOLOGY FROM LUMINESCENCE DATING OF COLLUVIAL AND ALLUVIAL DEPOSITS OF THE ARAVA VALLEY, ISRAEL

Luminescence ages help provide a time scale for recurrent surface rupt ures on a normal fault in the southern Arava, Israel. The dated sample s come from alluvium and colluvium along a fault scarp north of flat. The ages, obtained mainly by infrared stimulation of sand-size potassi um feldspar grains, accord with geomorphic age estimates from soils an d degraded scarps. Four large earthquakes occurred between 37,000 and 14,000 yr ago. Five smaller earthquakes occurred thereafter continuing until recent times. The mean recurrence interval for earthquakes of m agnitudes greater than 6 is about 4000 yr. (C) 1996 University of Wash ington.