- Researcher in Geology recently retired from Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel.edit
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
... none) Trigonodus tenuidentatus Lerman SQUARZITE 30 m at Wood z Member Makhtesh Z >. Ramon 0-4 SANDSTONE-110 m z SHALE at 0 Member Har'Arif Trigonodus-Pachycardia ... Limestone and Gypsum Member of Sahar-onim Formation,... more
... none) Trigonodus tenuidentatus Lerman SQUARZITE 30 m at Wood z Member Makhtesh Z >. Ramon 0-4 SANDSTONE-110 m z SHALE at 0 Member Har'Arif Trigonodus-Pachycardia ... Limestone and Gypsum Member of Sahar-onim Formation, Upper Ladinian, Archelaus Zone. ...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Geology and Foraminifera
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Long and short term effects of activated sewage sludge input on live benthic foraminiferal assemblages of the shallow shelf off Palmachim, Israel were examined at three stations along the eutrophic gradient. Over ten years from 2003 to... more
Long and short term effects of activated sewage sludge input on live benthic foraminiferal assemblages of the shallow shelf off Palmachim, Israel were examined at three stations along the eutrophic gradient. Over ten years from 2003 to 2012, foraminiferal abundance decreased dramatically by >50% in all stations. In 2012, new species were found near the discharge point, relative abundance of the dominant species decreased and in-sediment depth increased. In the remote stations the dominant species failed to bloom seasonally. Each year, dispersion of sludge was accompanied by intense current activity, aeration, and periodic local sediment transport, reintroducing species from nearby. Storm frequency was notably high in 2012. The decrease in numbers over time despite seasonal amelioration indicates that the constant OM input is a permanent source of environmental stress. Aside from this stress, natural variability, changes in Nile input, or a hidden impact of long-term climate chang...
Research Interests:
The late Maastrichtian to early Danian at Mishor Rotem, Israel, was examined based on geochemistry, bulk rock and clay mineralogies, biostratigraphy and lithology. This section contains four red clay layers of suspect impact or volcanic... more
The late Maastrichtian to early Danian at Mishor Rotem, Israel, was examined based on geochemistry, bulk rock and clay mineralogies, biostratigraphy and lithology. This section contains four red clay layers of suspect impact or volcanic origin interbedded in chalk and marly chalks. PGE anomalies indicate that only the K/T boundary red layer has an Ir dominated PGE anomaly indicative of an impact source. The late Maastrichtian red clays have Pd dominated PGE anomalies which coincide with increased trace elements of terrigenous and volcanogenic origins. Deccan or Syrian-Turkey arc volcanism is the likely source of volcanism in these clay layers. Glauconite, goethite and translucent amber spherules are present in the clay layers, but the Si-rich spherules reported by Rosenfeld et al. [l989] could not be confirmed. The absence of Cheto smectite indicates that no altered impact glass has been present. The red layers represent condensed sedimentation on topographic highs during sea level ...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The lengthy warm, stable climate of the Cretaceous terminated in the Campanian with a cooling trend, interrupted in the early and latest Maastrichtian by two events of global warming, at ~70-68 Ma and at 65.78-65.57 Ma. These climatic... more
The lengthy warm, stable climate of the Cretaceous terminated in the Campanian with a cooling trend, interrupted in the early and latest Maastrichtian by two events of global warming, at ~70-68 Ma and at 65.78-65.57 Ma. These climatic oscillations had a profound effect on pelagic ecosystems, especially on planktic foraminiferal populations. Here we compare biotic responses in the tropical-subtropical (Tethyan) open ocean and mesotrophic (Zin Valley, Israel) and oligotrophic (Tunisia) slopes, which correlate directly with global warming and cooling. The two warming events coincide with blooms of Guembelitria, an extreme opportunist genus best known as the main survivor of the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) catastrophe. In the Maastrichtian, Guembelitria bloomed in the uppermost surface water above shelf and slope environments but failed to reach the open ocean as it did at K-Pg. The coldest interval of the late Maastrichtian (~68-65.78 Ma) is marked by an acme of the otherwise rare spec...
The Early and Middle Eocene of the Avedat plateau was deposited on the southern Levant margin of the Tethys. Calcareous nannofossil populations belong to zones NP 11 to NP 16, transecting the EECO. The initiation of cooling terminating of... more
The Early and Middle Eocene of the Avedat plateau was deposited on the southern Levant margin of the Tethys. Calcareous nannofossil populations belong to zones NP 11 to NP 16, transecting the EECO. The initiation of cooling terminating of the EECO in Zone NP 13 was accompanied first by a discoaster acme and by an increase in nannofossil diversity that peaked in NP 14. A sharp fall in diversity followed, along with a significant reduction in discoasters taken to indicate the end of the oligotrophic regime. The next event related to this trend was at the NP15/16 transition, when Coccolithus-type forms were replaced by Reticulofenestra-type forms. The Coccolithus / Reticulofenestra biotic turnover marks the most important paleoceanic change of the Tertiary among the calcareous nannoplankton. The replacement became globally irreversible in the Late Paleogene, and the new pattern of dominance continues to the present. However, this change took place 7 Myr earlier at Possagno (Agnini et a...
Abstract Oil shows from wells in the Levant Basin and Egypt are suggestive of potential economic discoveries within unpenetrated Mesozoic reservoirs in the Eastern Mediterranean. Analysis of some of these oils indicate a non-marine source... more
Abstract Oil shows from wells in the Levant Basin and Egypt are suggestive of potential economic discoveries within unpenetrated Mesozoic reservoirs in the Eastern Mediterranean. Analysis of some of these oils indicate a non-marine source of mixed deltaic-terrestrial or lacustrine origin for the organic matter. Data from Barremian-Aptian sediments from the MNUPH-1 core in northern Israel opens a window on potential importance of terrestrial-sourced kerogen deposited in source rocks in a marine depositional environment. Core analyses of the Barremian Nabi Sa'id Fm. demonstrate the occurrence of a gas-prone immature source rock of >77 m gross thickness averaging 4.6% TOC, peaking at 37% TOC. Rock-Eval pyrolysis, biomarker n-alkane, sterane, and tricyclic terpane indices, atomic C/N ratios, and δ13Corg ranges indicate mixed terrestrial-marine organic source rocks for the Barremian, while higher up, the Aptian Hidra Fm. contains source rocks with organic matter derived dominantly from carbohydrate-rich land plants. The interval at MNUPH-1 includes abundant evidence for off-shelf mass transport of terrestrial and proximal marine sediments into the deep marine basin. These features are used to explain the anomaly of a terrestrial source for organic matter in this setting. Mass transport and consequent mixing of distal marine, proximal marine and land-derived sediment is, in fact, the norm at the foot of continental slopes globally. The dominantly type III source rocks described here would be unlikely to expel oil but might produce thermogenic gas. Thermogenic gas identified in similar marine settings might wrongly be interpreted as having been generated from marine organic matter, misleadingly indicative of a prospective oil source. When prospecting for deep-rooted hydrocarbon accumulations in offshore marine settings, an alternative system dominated by basinward sediment transport of gas-prone ‘terrestrial’ source rocks into strategically-positioned toe-of-slope marine settings, is supported here, and could well be producing gas in the Levant Basin.
Research Interests:
Calcareous nannoplankton population underwent a major reorganization across the early and middle Eocene. This reorganization was mainly explored from an open ocean perspective, but marginal setting...
Research Interests:
The Creationist/Scientist conflict, centering on the teaching of evolution in public schools, has become an ideological battleground in some parts of the U.S. The constitutional requirement of separation of Church and State is being... more
The Creationist/Scientist conflict, centering on the teaching of evolution in public schools, has become an ideological battleground in some parts of the U.S. The constitutional requirement of separation of Church and State is being countered by sophisticated maneuvering that attempts to present Creationism as an alternate, non-religious, legitimate scientific paradigm (model). On the other hand, the counter-claim that a religion-free approach is itself an alternative belief system, and therefore should also be prohibited by the Constitution, is not satisfactorily resolved. Left in the middle are children, students, and lay people for whom not the constitutional issue, but the actual out-of-court resolution of the conflict between science and religion is of considerable importance.
... HYAMS-KAPHZAN, O., ALMOGI-LABIN, A., SIVAN,D.&BENJAMINI, C. (2008): Benthic foraminifera assemblage change along the southeastern Mediterranean inner shelf due to fall-off of Nile-derived siliciclastics. N. Jb. Geol.... more
... HYAMS-KAPHZAN, O., ALMOGI-LABIN, A., SIVAN,D.&BENJAMINI, C. (2008): Benthic foraminifera assemblage change along the southeastern Mediterranean inner shelf due to fall-off of Nile-derived siliciclastics. N. Jb. Geol. Paläont. ... 1999; LANGER & HOTTINGER 2000). ...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
s, Israel. Geol. Soc., Jerusalem, p. 9-10. Druckman, Y., 1969. The petrography and environment of deposition of the Triassic Saharonim Formation and the Dolomite Member of the Mohilla Formation in Makhtesh Ramon, Central Negev (southern... more
s, Israel. Geol. Soc., Jerusalem, p. 9-10. Druckman, Y., 1969. The petrography and environment of deposition of the Triassic Saharonim Formation and the Dolomite Member of the Mohilla Formation in Makhtesh Ramon, Central Negev (southern Israel). Isr. Geol. Surv. Bull., 49, 24 p. Druckman, Y., 1976. The Triassic in southern Israel and Sinai: A sedimentological model of marginal epicontinental marine environments. Ph.D. Thesis, Hebrew Univ. Jerusalem, 188 p. Also: Isr. Geol. Surv., Rep. OD/1/76. (In Hebrew; Engl. Abstr.). Druckman, Y., 1974a. The stratigraphy of the Triassic sequence in southern Israel. Isr. Geol. Surv. Bull., 64, 94 p. Druckman, Y., 1974b. Triassic Paleogeogeography of Southern Israel and the Sinai Peninsula. Die Stratigr. Der Alpin-Mediterranen Trias, Symp. Wien, May 1973. Oesterreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Schriftenreihe der Erdwissenschaftliche Kommissionen, 2, p 79-86. Druckman, Y., 1984. Evidence for early-Middle Triassic Faulting and possible rifting...
Research Interests:
In Israel, the Cretaceous/Tertiary (K/T) boundary at Hor Hahar occurs within the interval from the top of the Ghareb Formation (Maastrichtian) to just below the horizon of dark marl and clay within the overlying Taqiye Formation... more
In Israel, the Cretaceous/Tertiary (K/T) boundary at Hor Hahar occurs within the interval from the top of the Ghareb Formation (Maastrichtian) to just below the horizon of dark marl and clay within the overlying Taqiye Formation (Paleocene). The studied interval contains all the calcareous nannofossil zones: Micula prinsii (latest Maastrichtian), Markalius inversus—NP1 (earliest Paleocene), andCruciplacolithus tenuis—NP2 (Early Paleocene). They correlate in sequence with theAbathomphalus mayaroensis, P0 P1a, P1b, and P1c ...
Research Interests:
In Israel, the Cretaceous/Tertiary (K/T) boundary at Hor Hahar occurs within the interval from the top of the Ghareb Formation (Maastrichtian) to just below the horizon of dark marl and clay within the overlying Taqiye Formation... more
In Israel, the Cretaceous/Tertiary (K/T) boundary at Hor Hahar occurs within the interval from the top of the Ghareb Formation (Maastrichtian) to just below the horizon of dark marl and clay within the overlying Taqiye Formation (Paleocene). The studied interval contains all the calcareous nannofossil zones: Micula prinsii (latest Maastrichtian), Markalius inversus—NP1 (earliest Paleocene), andCruciplacolithus tenuis—NP2 (Early Paleocene). They correlate in sequence with theAbathomphalus mayaroensis, P0 P1a, P1b, and P1c ...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Climate variability, Environmental Change, Benthic foraminifera, Mediterranean Sea, Seasonality, and 14 moreFood supply, Regime change, Late Holocene, Environmental Variables, Relative Humidity, High Resolution, Early Holocene, Eastern Mediterranean, Deep Sea, Sedimentation Rate, Transition Period, Water Depth, Shallow Water, and River Discharge
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The transition from the Arabian plate epicontinental margin toward the deeper marine depositional system of the Middle to Late Triassic is tracked using data from deep boreholes in northern Israel. Biotic, sedimentological and diagenetic... more
The transition from the Arabian plate epicontinental margin toward the deeper marine depositional system of the Middle to Late Triassic is tracked using data from deep boreholes in northern Israel. Biotic, sedimentological and diagenetic components from borehole cuttings were used to construct a carbonate-evaporitic depositional facies model for the Triassic. Three N-S trending subparallel facies strips were recognized, trending along a narrow belt less than 45 km wide but 300 km long. The proximal stable inland region is an extension of the epicontinental marginal marine facies during the Anisian. To the north and west lies the second strip, characterized by a subsiding platform. In this strip, sections are consistently much thicker than the proximal strip, more richly fossiliferous with open marine microfauna, and where evaporitic, tend to have more salina -like features than the sabkhas typical of the more eastern facies strip. Despite these differences, these two facies strips h...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The accumulation of the Mohilla carbonates and evaporites on the Levant margin during the Carnian is a story of changing rates of tectonic movements overprinted by sea level. Rapid but decreasing pulses of differential subsidence, within... more
The accumulation of the Mohilla carbonates and evaporites on the Levant margin during the Carnian is a story of changing rates of tectonic movements overprinted by sea level. Rapid but decreasing pulses of differential subsidence, within an overall global transgressive phase, resulted in formation of localized basins that were filled with evaporites, and then capped by prograding carbonates. The Mohilla Formation is a carbonate-evaporite sequence developed in a regional environment dominated by carbonates, but locally hosting evaporitic lithotopes, sometimes of extreme thickness. The thickest evaporites occur adjacent to the hangingwall side of late Paleozoic to early Mesozoic normal faults. Most of these faults are now reverse faults, due to reorganization in the regional structural setting since the Cretaceous. Within the Mohilla-type structural basins, evaporites are limited to the structural lows. Tectonic movement on the normal faults generated accommodation space that was main...