Prof. Zohar Gvirtzman-Geological Institute 

Member of the Scientific Committee 

Email zohar@gsi.gov.il 

Research Areas: tectonics, stratigraphy, Messinian salinity crisis, salt tectonics 

Position at the Geologic Institute: Head of the Subsurface Research Laboratory 

Additional information: personal website  

Current Mediterranean research: 

Tectonics of the Levant Basin, salt tectonics in the Levant Basin, the Sinai salinity crisis, active displacement off the coast of Israel 

Vision for developing Mediterranean research: The Mediterranean Sea is a very unique oceanic basin from a tectonic point of view. On one hand, it is a relic of the prehistoric Tethys Ocean that is gradually disappearing, containing the oldest oceanic crust on Earth. On the other hand, it has newer parts which are currently in the making. It is a small oceanic basin, surrounded by continents, with a limited link with the Atlantic Ocean. When this link became narrower some six million years ago, the entire Mediterranean became a “dead sea”; all animals in it died and a layer of salt thousands of meters thick built up on its bottom. This event sparks the imagination of scientists regarding ecologic disasters and sparks controversy as to whether the Mediterranean dried up or whether its water level only dropped by a few hundred meters. The tremendous salt sediment which accumulated at the bottom of the sea during those dramatic times now destabilizes the seabed and puts underwater infrastructure at risk. During the past decade, natural gas deposits were discovered in the Mediterranean, making Israel energetically independent with far-reaching geopolitical implications. The need to transport gas from gas fields in the deep sea to its consumers on land has brought up the practical need to understand – and reduce – marine geological risks. In a broader sense, gas discoveries have led to the realization that the marine space requires proper planning, much like land space. Sustainable planning of natural resources and natural risks along Israel’s coastline is a national challenge which we are facing now, at the start of the third decade of the 21st century.