Messinian salinity crisis

Messinian salinity crisis

1. (geology) A geological event, characterised by the partial desiccation of the Mediterranean basin, which occurred throughout the latter part of the Messinian age of the Miocene epoch, from 5.96 to 5.33 million years ago, and finally ended with the Zanclean flood.

   Synonyms: Messinian event, MSC

   • 1985, J. A. McKenzie, H. Oberhänsli, “8: Paleoceanographic expressions of the Messinian salinity crisis”, in K. J. Hsu, H. J. Weissert, editors, South Atlantic Paleoceanography, Cambridge University Press, page 100:

     Our isotopic and sedimentologic correlations demonstrate that the latest Miocene expansion of the West Antarctic ice sheet preceded and most likely precipitated the Messinian salinity crisis.

   • 2002, Don Hallett, Petroleum Geology of Libya, Elaevier, page 259:

     It is an evaporitic and carbonate unit which marks a peripheral manifestation of the Messinian salinity crisis, during which huge volumes of evaporites were produced in the deep Mediterranean basins.

   • 2018, Tim Flannery, Europe: A Natural History, page 129:

     A research program found that the great drying commenced about six million years ago during the Messinian age, the last stage of the Miocene. Known as the Messinian salinity crisis, it resulted from the clockwise rotation of Africa, which closed the Strait of Gibraltar and isolated the Mediterranean from the Atlantic Ocean.

   • 2022, David Bice, Enrico Tavarnelli, 8: The influence of the Messinian salinity crisis on the tectonic evolution of the Northern Apennines, Christian Koeberl, Philippe Claeys, Alessandro Montanari (editors), From the Guajira Desert to the Apennines, and from Mediterranean Microplates to the Mexican Killer Asteroid, Geological Society of America, Special Paper 557, page 115,

     The Messinian salinity crisis (5.85–5.35 Ma) represents a nearly unprecedented unloading and loading event. During the Messinian Salinity Crisis, two important things happened in terms of surface load changes—the accumulation of thick evaporites represent a load addition, while the desiccation of the Mediterranean represents a load subtraction.

• Lago Mare event

• Messinian evaporite on Wikipedia.Wikipedia