Faults at the proximal continental shelf off Atlit, central Israel, and their neotectonic significance

A seismic reflection survey was conducted in the proximal shelf off Atlit, western Mt. Carmel, Israel, to clarify the regional neotectonic regime. The Atlit promontory is built of late Pleistocene eolianite ridge, truncated by faults at its northern extension. The seismic survey encountered two series of faults, trending N-S and NW-SE, offsetting the upper strata by 1-5 m. Faulted escarpments of the N-S faults are barely covered by sediments, suggesting that they are tectonically active. The escarpments of the NW-SE faults are rarely exposed, suggesting their late Pleistocene age. A submerged undamaged Neolithic well near a major NW trending fault indicates that the structural stability of these faults during the last 8000 years can be presumed.