Recent Crustal Movements along the Carmel Fault System, Israel

A long-standing dilemma in the geology of Israel is whether the Carmel Fault (CF) is currently active and to what extent does it contribute to the seismic hazard of the city of Haifa and the nearby petrochemical industrial area. In this study we use InSAR stacking and PSInSAR to measure the surface movements on both sides of the CF. Processing single interferograms showed low signal to noise ratio (SNR), and no consistent sense of apparent displacements. Stacking interferograms improved the SNR, but uncertainties still remained high, compared to the signal. PSInSAR analysis shows no evidence for differential surface movements between the two sides of the CF. Using elastic dislocation modeling we find that the lower detection limits on the NW-SE segments of the fault, are 1 mm/year for vertical movement and 4 mm/year for horizontal sinistral movement. Thus, we cannot exclude creep along the Carmel Fault at rates lower than these limits.