Preliminary mesozoic palaeomagnetic results from Israel and inferences for a microplate structure in the Lebanon

Preliminary results from a few Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks indicate that Israel has behaved as part of the African plate during this period. Earlier palaeomagnetic results from the Lebanon, previously explained in terms of a separate Levantine plate, can be better explained in terms of differential motion between fault blocks in response to motions along the Dead Sea Fault. The available evidence allows determination of the net motions of specific fault blocks and is consistent with independent palaeogeographic indicators of the pretectonic relationship between these blocks.