Karak Resources Project

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, the next 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. This figure 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 is a delta that has formed where the Wadi al-Mujib discharges into the Dead Sea.