Dead Sea and Genesis chapter 14

Source: The Modern Sea and Genesis 14 by Kyle Pope. Firstly, what meant Salt Sea was Siddim Valley? Secondly, what were the asphalt pits?  Nowadays Dead sea is divided into two lakes separated by a land bridge.  Yes, I've seen that on maps.                       Kyle Pope writing: "Geological study of the mountains that surround the southern basin  suggests that this rise and fall of the water level of the southern basin  has occurred at various times in history.  Amos Frumkin and Yoel Elitzur in a recent article in Biblical Archaeology Review   entitled “The Rise and Fall of the Dead Sea,” claim geologists  have discovered evidence at Mount Sedom, which rests on the southwestern shore,  that correlates with the Biblical account." Evidence: lake level at its highest around 3000 BC, dropping dramatically unto 2000 BC. Southern basin dried out and became a valley circa 2100-1800 BC. (Chara commenting: that was  in Abraham's time! And Somdom's and Gomorrah's!  Did the disaster happen sometimes round 1800-1500 BC?) By 1500-1200 BC water level rose again. Siddim valley again a part of the “Salt Sea” (pp. 46-48).          The book of Genesis was revealed to Moses during the time of the Exodus  somewhere between 1440-1400 B.C. (Coffman, p. 18-19).  Moses, in describing the location of the ancient battle refers to the geological conditions of his day  placing the battle where the Salt Sea had risen by then. En Gedi Abraham, lived around 2000-1820 B.C. (Clarke, p. 88-89 chart).  This was at a time when the southern basin was exposed  and was in fact “The Valley of Siddim.”          Frumkin and Elitzur observe that modern conditions  in the southern basin in many ways present these asphalt pits.  .  The geology of the area causes the ground in and around  the dried up basin to be brittle. Pits forming when the brittle ground  in and around the dried up basin breaks. Pools of evaporating salt water and bacteria form naturally  as the water recedes over time. They cite an incident in 1998 when a young woman at a campsite  at En Gedi fell into a 25 foot deep pit when the ground gave way underneath her.  (Chara commenting: Reminds me of the men who fell down a pit in Numeri. Must have been one of these.!  And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground cleaved asunder  that was under them; 32 and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up, and their houses and all the men who  appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. 33 They and all that appertained to them went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them;  and they perished from among the congregation.  34 And all Israel who were round about them fled at the cry of them, for they said, “Lest the earth s wallow us up also!”   Och just som han hade slutat att tala allt detta, rämnade marken under dem, 32. och jorden öppnade sin mun och uppslukade dem och deras hus och allt Koras folk och alla deras ägodelar; 33. och de foro levande ned i dödsriket, de med allt vad de hade, och jorden övertäckte dem, och så utrotades de ur församlingen. 34. Och hela Israel, som stod runt omkring dem, flydde vid deras rop, ty de fruktade att bliva uppslukade av jorden.    Frumkin, Amos and Yoel Elitzur. “The Rise and Fall of the Dead Sea.” Biblical Archaeology Review 27:6 (2001):42-50.      Pope, Kyle. "The Modern Dead Sea and Genesis Fourteen" Biblical Insights 2.2 (February 2002): 24. a