Following the latest incident in which a Tel Aviv University student, Idan Shadmi, was seriously when falling into a Dead Sea sinkhole, a Tel Aviv University physics professor, claims to have created a seismic warning system that will be able to give an indication when one of these holes, mostly located on the western shore, is about to open up.
Idan was hiking in the area with his girlfriend when the ground suddenly opened up below them. Shadami was able to help push his friend out the opening gap but not before he was swallowed up – resulting in him receiving serious injuries.
The continuing receding of the water in the Dead Sea has resulted in instability of the ground on the seashore, when brine deposits are dissolved by fresh surface water, resulting in a cavity or sink hole forming.
In recent years, literally thousands of sink holds have formed, most of them on Israel’s western side. They can be very dangerous, and threaten roads, hotels and peoples’ lives.
TAU’s Dr. Lev Eppelbaum, together with French and Jordanian researchers, have developed a system in which 3-D echo monitoring device can locate a potential sinkhole, due the area having a weaker gravitational field than the area surrounding it.
Eppelbaum has been working on the project, sponsored by the NATO Science for Peace Program, together with colleagues from the University of Grenoble in France, and academics from Jordan.
Eppelbaum said that the sinkholes, some of them quite large, are unique of the Dead Sea, and have been created due to the receding waters which have occurred due to diversion of water from the Jordan River, together with natural evaporation and depletion by the industries located there (both the Jordanian and Israeli mining industries extract more than 4 million tons of potash, bromines and other chemicals annually.
Unless a solution is found to at least predict when the next sinkholes will form, Eppelbaum fears that the entire Dead Sea industries, including tourism, will be in jeopardy.
The project is now plagued by a lack of funds, which could threaten it with closure. “We cannot product when the next sinkholes will appear unless we can monitor the entire area, he was quoted as saying.
As far as preventing the sinkholes from forming, Eppelbaum said that this can only happen by bringing water from either the Mediterranean or Red Seas to replenish what has been lost. But even then, there is no way of knowing if a different mineral composition in the Dead Sea will not be a problem in itself, as the Dead Sea’s current mineral composition is unique, he added.
Follow the Dead Sea debate:
Dead Sea-Red Sea Canal On Hold
Dead Sea-Red Sea Canal, Let It Flow
It’s The Water That Binds Us Finds Alexandra Cousteau
::Jerusalem Post
[image via gallery photo]
Author: Maurice Picow
Maurice Picow grew up in Oklahoma City, U.S.A., where he received a B.S. Degree in Business Administration. Following graduation, Maurice embarked on a career as a real estate broker before making the decision to move to Israel. After arriving in Israel, he came involved in the insurance agency business and later in the moving and international relocation fields. Maurice became interested in writing news and commentary articles in the late 1990’s, and now writes feature articles for the The Jerusalem Post as well as being a regular contributor to Green Prophet. He has also written a non-fiction study on Islam, a two volume adventure novel, and is completing a romance novel about a forbidden love affair. Writing topics of particular interest for Green Prophet are those dealing with global warming and climate change, as well as clean technology - particularly electric cars.
For images of sinkholes along the western shore (Israeli-side) of the Dead Sea check out my photos at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27944012@N06/sets/72157621040678204/
Dear Dr. Eppelbaum,
The article which Maurice Picow is basing this post on is from the Jerusalem Post (link below the article). We appreciate that you’ve pointed out these significant errors.
Karin Kloosterman
Editor
Green Prophet
Dear Sirs,
Unfortunately, this published material contains several significant mistakes.
(1) “Tel Aviv University physics professor, claims to have created a seismic warning system that will be able to give an indication when one of these holes”.
I am not a physicist. I do not work with the “seismic warning system” and my development at the present stage is associated with the improving of gravity field methodology in complex environments.
(2) “TAU’s Dr. Lev Eppelbaum, together with French and Jordanian researchers, have developed a system in which 3-D echo monitoring”
I do not understand what is it “3-D echo monitoring” in this context. The word “echo” is not only unnecessary, but is wrong (associated with other geophysical method). Later, from the description of researchers, is disappeared a team of geophysicists from the Inst. of Geophysics (Lod, Israel). The team has been performed a most part of field investigations.
(3) “Eppelbaum has been working on the project, sponsored by the NATO Science for Peace Program, together with colleagues from the University of Grenoble in France, and academics from Jordan”
The same, where is reference to Inst. of Geophysics of Israel? France and Jordan geophysicists are noted, but again the Israeli Inst. of Geophysics not mentioned.
(4) “We cannot product when the next sinkholes ”
Correct is “We cannot predict …”
Yours truly
Dr. Lev Eppelbaum
Princip. Research Assoc. (Assoc. Professor)
Dept. of Geophysics
Tel Aviv University