Origin of late pleistocene submerged marine terraces on the outer continental shelf, Northern Israel

A series of elongated hills on the outer continental shelf off northern Israel, between 100 and 120 m, rise several meters above their surroundings. They have steep escarpments seaward and gradual slopes landward. The escarpments are commonly covered by colonies of sponges. The biogenic cover is normally 1.0-1.5 m thick. The gentle slopes commonly consist of soft, unconsolidated sediment, although some bedrock outcrops occur. Stratification patterns along these outcrops suggest calcareous eolianite ("kurkar"). Coquina was encountered in several sites at the base of the biogenic cover, built of fragments of shells not observed at the present depth. The eolianite, coquina, and steep escarpments suggest a late Pleistocene nearshore terrace.