Dead Sea Transform
Levant · continental transform · 2618.5 km of mapped active fault in 15 traces
background as of 7 November 2026.
consistent with baseline
| Window | the last 30.0 days |
|---|---|
| Earthquakes counted | 0 at M4.5 or above |
| Expected in that window | 0.10 |
What this system normally does
From 1995 to 2025 the catalogue holds 35 earthquakes of M4.5 or larger attributable to this system: about 1.17 a year. That figure is what "elevated" on this page is measured against.
The fault itself
| Mapped length | 2618.5 km |
|---|---|
| Traces | 15 |
| Tectonic setting | continental transform |
| Slip types | Sinistral, Sinistral-Reverse, Sinistral-Normal |
| Depth attributed to it | down to 50.0 km |
| Extent | 28.08 to 36.23 latitude, 33.93 to 36.81 longitude |
Recorded history
NOAA's hazard records hold 16 significant earthquakes and 7 tsunamis attributed to this system since 362.
The deadliest was the 20 May 1202 magnitude 7.6 earthquake (Syria: Southwestern), which killed 30,000 people.
The most recent entry is the 11 February 2004 magnitude 5.3 earthquake (Jordan: Ma'in; Israel: Jerusalem, Petah-tiqwa).
Across the entries that record a death toll, 68,447 people died.
| Date | What | Where | Toll |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 May 1202 | magnitude 7.6 earthquake | Syria: Southwestern | 30,000 dead, damage over $25 million |
| 25 November 1759 | magnitude 7.4 earthquake | Lebanon-syria: Baalbec; Syria: Damascus, Antioch | 30,000 dead, damage $5 to 25 million |
| 20 May 1202 | tsunami | Southwestern Syria | 30,000 dead, damage over $25 million |
| 1 January 1837 | magnitude 6.4 earthquake | Israel: Zefat (Safed); Lebanon: Beirut (Beyrout) | 6,000 dead, damage over $25 million |
| 1 January 1837 | tsunami | Israel and Syrian Coasts | 6,000 dead, damage over $25 million |
| 30 October 1759 | magnitude 6.6 earthquake | Israel: Zefat (Safed) | 2,000 dead, damage $5 to 25 million |
| 30 October 1759 | tsunami (waves to 8 m) | Akko | 2,000 dead, damage $5 to 25 million |
| 11 July 1927 | magnitude 6.3 earthquake | Israel; Jordan: Damiya | 268 dead, damage $5 to 25 million |
| 16 March 1956 | magnitude 5.8 earthquake | Lebanon: Litani | 148 dead, damage $5 to 25 million |
| 29 March 1903 | magnitude 5.7 earthquake | Israel: Nabulus | 20 dead |
| 22 November 1995 | magnitude 7.2 earthquake | Egypt: Nuwaybi; Saudi Arabia; Israel; Jordan | 11 dead, damage $1 to 5 million |
| 22 November 1995 | tsunami (waves to 4 m) | Gulf of Elat-aqaba | 11 dead, damage $1 to 5 million |
| 9 July 551 | magnitude 7.3 earthquake | Lebanon: Bayrut (Beirut); Egypt; Iraq;saudi Arabia | damage over $25 million |
| 18 January 746 | magnitude 7.0 earthquake | Israel: Teverya (Tiberias), Ariha (Jericho) | damage $5 to 25 million |
| 14 January 1546 | magnitude 6.5 earthquake | Israel: Nabulus, Salt; Jordan: Al-karak | damage $5 to 25 million |
| 24 May 362 | magnitude 6.4 earthquake | Jordan: Al-karak | damage $5 to 25 million |
| 23 May 1834 | magnitude 6.3 earthquake | Jordan: Al-karak; Israel: Jerusalem, Nabulus | damage $1 to 5 million |
| 1160 | magnitude 6.1 earthquake | Israel | damage $5 to 25 million |
| 20 January 1941 | magnitude 6.0 earthquake | Cyprus: Ammochostos | damage $1 to 5 million |
| 11 February 2004 | magnitude 5.3 earthquake | Jordan: Ma'in; Israel: Jerusalem, Petah-tiqwa | damage $1 to 5 million |
| 11 February 2004 | tsunami (waves to 1 m) | Dead Sea | damage $1 to 5 million |
| 14 January 1546 | tsunami | Gaza - Jaffa | damage $5 to 25 million |
| 18 January 746 | tsunami | Syrian and Egyptian Coasts | damage $5 to 25 million |
A dash means NOAA recorded no number, not that nobody died. Older entries are fewer because fewer were written down, not because less happened.
Recorded history: NOAA NCEI hazard databases, public domain, retrieved 2026-10-22.
Where these numbers come from
Fault geometry, length and segment counts: GEM Global Active Faults Database (GEM GAF-DB), GEM Foundation, https://github.com/GEMScienceTools/gem-global-active-faults Licence: CC-BY-SA-4.0. Figures derived from it here are offered under the same licence. Earthquake counts, magnitudes and depths: United States Geological Survey, public domain. The activity judgement is ours, computed from those two inputs, and is not a statement by either agency.