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Israel Antiquities Authority, Marine Archaeology Branch, P.O. Box 180, Atlit 30350, Israel
Coastal archaeological structures are often used to identify coastal displacements and relative land-sea changes. Settlement of foundations and collapse of coastal stone-built structures, however, can sometimes lead to misinterpretations of sea-level changes or neotectonic activity. Coastal rock-cut installations, on the other hand, because they are cut into the bedrock, are not threatened by settlement or collapse and can serve as reliable indicators for detecting land-sea changes. A detailed survey of rock-cut installations along the Israeli coast shows that coastal pools, channels and quarries cut within the last 2500 years are today found at present-day sea level or very close to it and are still able to function. Archaeological and geological indications of major neotectonic activity along the Israeli coast during historical times were re-examined in this study, and were found to be inconsistent with the new data presented. The study concludes that the Israeli coast is relatively stable and that no significant neotectonic movement (> 0.2 m per 1000 years) has occurred during historical times.
