For millennia, the salty, mineral-rich waters of the Dead Sea have drawn visitors and health pilgrims to its shores. But in recent years, gaping chasms have been opening up without warning along its banks, posing a threat to such visitors and tourism in general.
But for the past few decades, the sea has been shrinking rapidly, due to the diversion of water from the Jordan River (which feeds the Dead Sea) and mineral mining from its waters in the south. The water’s surface is currently receding by about 3 feet (1 m) per year, according to Hanan Ginat, a geologist and academic chairman of the Dead Sea and Arava Research Center, in Israel.
For the past few decades, the sea has been receding by about 3 feet (1m) per year, due to the diversion of water from the Jordan River (which feeds the Dead Sea) and mineral mining from its waters in the south. As the briny water recedes, fresh groundwater wells up and dissolves layers of salt, creating large underground cavities, above which sinkholes form. (Image credit: Eli Raz)
As the briny water recedes, fresh groundwater wells up and dissolves layers of salt, creating large underground cavities, above which sinkholes form. The holes can open up without warning, Ginat told Live Science. “We’re looking for systems to forecast where they will happen, but it’s very complicated,” he added.
The main reason for the Dead Sea’s decline is diversion of water from the Jordan River, which used to provide about 450 billion gallons (1.7 billion cubic meters), but now only provides about 20 percent of that, Ginat said. A factory called Dead Sea Works, which pumps out seawater to harvest its salts and minerals, plays a role in the problem, he said.
The holes can open up without warning, and could pose a danger to visitors and residents. But predicting where and when they will form is difficult, experts say. (Image credit: Eli Raz)
Ginat’s colleague at Dead Sea and Arava Research Center, geologist Eli Raz, has studied the sinkhole problem in depth. Raz found that many of the craters developed along seismic fault lines in the Jordan Rift Valley. Inside these faults, the dissolved salts are less stable and more susceptible to invading freshwater, which hollows out the gaping holes, Raz’s studies suggest.
Geologist Eli Raz of Israel’s Dead Sea and Arava Research Center has studied the sinkhole problem in depth. Raz found that many of the craters developed along seismic fault lines in the Jordan Rift Valley. Inside these faults, the dissolved salts are less stable and more susceptible to invading freshwater, which hollows out the gaping holes, Raz’s studies suggest. (Image credit: Eli Raz)
The sinkholes were first noticed in the 1970s, but have been forming more rapidly in recent years. The holes are dangerous for people who visit or live in the area, and while no one has been killed, the problem should be taken seriously, researchers warn. The sinkholes can reach up to 82 feet (25 m) deep and 131 feet (40 m) in diameter, and nearby holes sometimes join to form giant ones, according to Raz and his colleagues. More than 4,000 sinkholes exist today, mostly on the sea’s western shores, Ginat said.
The sinkholes were first noticed in the 1970s, but have been forming more rapidly in recent years. The sinkholes can reach up to 82 feet (25 m) deep and 131 feet (40 m) in diameter, and nearby holes sometimes join to form giant ones. More than 4,000 sinkholes exist today. (Image credit: Eli Raz)
However, there may be a way to stave off the Dead Sea’s decline. Authorities have proposed a canal that would run from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea, called the Red Sea-Dead Sea Conduit, which, in addition to providing water to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories, would bring salt water to the Dead Sea and generate electricity to supply its own energy. Israel and Jordan approved the first stage of the project last month, Ginat said.
“You can’t stop the sinkholes,” Ginat said. But when people plan roads, buildings and other infrastructure, they should take note of the research, “and choose where to put things [based on] the knowledge we have about the sinkholes,” he said.
While no people have died from the Dead Sea sinkholes, some animals have been caught unawares and been injured or killed. (Image credit: Eli Raz)
Other areas of the world are also home to puzzling sinkholes. For instance, in Siberia, at least seven giant craters have been found since 2014, which scientists believe to be the result of the explosive release of methane gas from melting permafrost. Researchers have called for urgent investigation of the craters out of safety concerns.
However, there may be a way to stave off the Dead Sea’s decline. Authorities have proposed a canal that would run from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea, called the Red Sea-Dead Sea Conduit, which, in addition to providing water to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories, would bring salt water to the Dead Sea and generate electricity to supply its own energy. (Image credit: Eli Raz)
Source:Live Science
Read More: The Dead Sea is Drying Up and Thousands of Sinkholes are Multiplying At Alarming Rates
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PROPHECY:
No matter what scientific evidence is provided, the simple fact is that GOD is drying up the seas and the rivers as was prophesied. This is prophetic and another sign of the of end times.
”..keep that which is avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: Which some professing have erred concerning the faith…” (1 Timothy 6:20-21 KJV).
And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up – Isaiah 19:5 (KJV).
Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:-Psalm 102:25-26 (KJV).
A drought is upon her waters; and they shall be dried up: for it is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols- Jeremiah 50:38 (KJV).
That saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers – Isaiah 44:27 (KJV).
And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared- Revelation 16:12 (KJV).
Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will plead thy cause, and take vengeance for thee; and I will dry up her sea, and make her springs dry – Jeremiah 51:36 (KJV).
Behold, by my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a desert; their fish stink for lack of water and die of thirst -Isaiah 50:2 (KJV).
Euphrates Prophecy
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