Introduction

The thrilling biblical saga of Sodom and Gomorrah leaves a deep impression on the spirit of its readers, especially the young. Basic ethical concepts such as right and wrong were dramatically portrayed by that simple and cruel, yet humane, story. Memories of even more ancient disastrous geological events apparently were interwoven into the saga. A geologist cannot remain indifferent when investigating the Dead Sea region and observing stratigraphical and structural evidence of past and continuing similar events. Forceful dynamics indicated by vertically tilted beds of rocksalt layers that have penetrated upward through the ground and by later processes that have shaped some beds into pillars trigger association with the ancient story. Such features are abundant and clearly recognizable along the foot of the diapiric structure of Mount Sedom (Arabic Jebel Usdum). A gas blowout during the drilling of a water well near the Amazyahu fault in 1957 only by good luck failed to produce a gush of fire and smoke. Such an event could have happened in ancient times as a natural result of faulting. Knowledge of the regional geological background permits translation of the biblical descriptions into scientific terms, which suggests that the sagas of Sodom, Gomorrah, and Jericho described real events that occurred during ancient times before much was known about geology. Thirty-five years of the authors' professional experience in the Dead Sea region encompasses many geological aspects of the basin: deep and shallow stratigraphy, structural history, seismology, sedimentological processes, and the physical and chemical properties of the water. Archaeological studies in the region are reviewed. Although most of these studies are applicable to exploration for oil and gas or extraction of salts from brines, their results illuminate the role of changing paleogeography and paleolimnology on human environments. Climate changes and lake-level fluctuations have occurred since Mid-Pleistocene, especially during the past 50,000 years. Studies of sediments from shallow core holes delimit coastal areas that when exposed by drops in the level of the Dead Sea, quickly developed soils that could be used for agriculture.