|
|
Fluvial Landforms
 The Plateau exhibits a variety of fluvial landforms,
some modern, and some relic. Alluvial fans represent one
of the predominate modern landforms that can be found
throughout the Plateau as the result of debris being
transported from areas with high relief and deposited
onto areas of low relief during storm events. Many
examples of alluvial fans are found along the Fajj al-`Usaykir.
The figure to the left is a high-resolution (15m)
ASTER satellite image draped over an ASTER DEM that provides
a look down the Fajj (facing northwest). A prominent
alluvial fan is seen on the near, left side of the Fajj
with several smaller alluvial fans lining the right
side. These alluvial fans represent stable features that
have been built up slowly over many years. In contrast,
this [
Photo] shows a very
active discharge area where, annually, large amounts of
sediments are transported out of the Muhayyar al Fajj
and deposited onto the Fajj al-`Usaykir (the bright area
in the center of the image).
 Numerous relic deltas can be found along the shore of
the Dead Sea on the western edge of the Plateau
escarpment. While modern processes continue to deposit
some delta materials, the deltas were originally
subaqueous features that were deposited during wetter
Pleistocene storm events, when the Dead Sea was
receiving huge amounts of sediments that were being
eroded from Plateau channel walls and valleys. As the
climate became more arid and the Dead Sea lowered, the
deltas were exposed. The figure to the left
shows the delta where modern Wādī ash Shaqiq
empties into the Dead Sea. Note the presence of a modern
road across the delta indicating its relic origin and
stability in modern times. This [
Photo]
is a delta that has formed where the Wādī al-Mūjib
discharges into the Dead Sea.
The volute capitals of Mudaybi<sup>c</sup>
|
|
Last Updated on
07/13/2003 02:51 PM
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
