In the field of earth sciences the Dead Sea plays a fundamental key, offering a unique glimpse into the history of earth. This has led to one of the largest scientific projects in Israel; the deep borehole in the Dead Sea.
The project provides a unique high-resolution record of lake levels, indicating past climate changes in the area, which can then be correlated to global events. Drilling took place at a depth of 300 m, where a borehole was drilled reaching as much as 455 m into the seabed. This borehole yielded sediment cores that provided records that are estimated to go back 500,000 years.
The data gathered from these cores is utilized by scientists all over the world studying everything from water geochemistry, the deep-biosphere, tectonics and paleomagnetism. The project was the brainchild of Prof. Zvi Ben-Avraham (Tel Aviv University) and Dr. Moti Stein (Geological Survey of Israel) and included international cooperation between Israel, Germany, the United States, Switzerland, and Japan.
The Dead Sea project is headed by Prof. Zvi Ben-Avraham, member of the Israel Academy of Sciences from Tel Aviv University, head of the Minerva Dead Sea Research Center, founding director of the Charney School of Marine Sciences at the University of Haifa and winner of the Israel prize, and Dr. Moti Stein from the Israel Geological Survey and Dr. Michael Lazar from the University of Haifa.