A Review of Gravity and Magnetic Studies in the Jordan Dead Sea Transform Zone

The geodynamic evolution of the dead sea transform (dst) remains one of the most contentious issues of the eastern mediterranean tectonics. therefore, wide-ranging geophysical surveys have been carried out over five decades to fill the gap of geological information existing in the region. the collected data sets allowed new models to be constructed, improving the knowledge of the crustal and lithospheric structure of the dst, and the reformulation of its complex tectonic history. in this context, the contribution of gravity and magnetic investigations deserves, with no doubt, a review on both large and small scales. the potential data were employed to interpret the evolution of the dead sea basin, delineating the crustal and upper mantle structure and modelling the density distribution of the sediments. the crystalline basement structure and magmatic intrusions were investigated, and underground structures of salt diapirs were explained and sinkhole hazards were detected along the dead sea coast. in order to produce the first comprehensive compilation of gravity and magnetic studies in the jordan dst zone, all available potential field data were combined and revised. the main features of the potential fields resulting from these surveys were described, and the qualitative and quantitative interpretations proposed by several authors were abridged. the information presented by this paper will help interested geoscientists, in different geological fields, with their regional and local studies in the jordan dst zone region. the compilation of geophysical observations presented here may also facilitate the understanding of similar transform systems elsewhere.