The GIL network of continuous GPS monitoring in Israel for geodetic and geophysical applications

GIL (GPS in Israel) is a network of 12 continuous GPS stations, of which 11 stations are fully operational and one station is to be installed in 2002. The network provides a reference frame for precise GPS measurements in Israel and serves basic and applied geophysical research, including (1) monitoring plate motion and crustal deformation across the Dead Sea Fault, (2) mapping atmospheric water vapor content, and (3) monitoring ionospheric total electron content. Results from 36 months of continuous GPS measurements reveal that the current displacement rate within the State of Israel is 1-4 mm/yr, reflecting interseismic deformation across the Dead Sea Fault due to 2-4 mm/yr of relative motion between Sinai and Arabia and possibly post-seismic deformation induced by the 1995 Nuweiba earthquake.