The Messinian salinity crisis took place from about 5.96 to 5.33 million years ago, near the end of the Miocene epoch, when the closing of the Strait of Gibraltar isolated the Mediterranean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean. The basin underwent partial to nearly complete desiccation, drying into a deep depression reaching 3 to 5 kilometers below normal sea level, while rivers carved deep canyons into the exposed margins and thick salt deposits accumulated from evaporation. The crisis ended when the strait reopened around 5.33 million years ago, triggering the Zanclean flood that rapidly refilled the basin. It caused major extinctions among marine life native to the Mediterranean, while the temporary land connection let animals move between the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa and reach remote islands such as the Balearics, where some species remained isolated for millions of years afterward.
Connections
In Discipline
Source Messinian salinity crisis (Wikipedia)
Sources
Messinian salinity crisis (Wikipedia)
In Discipline: Paleoclimatology, Lead paragraph
The Messinian salinity crisis (also referred to as the Messinian event, and in its latest stage as the Lago Mare event) was an event in which the Mediterranean Sea dried up, in a cycle of partial or nearly complete desiccation throughout the latter part of the Messinian age of the Miocene epoch, from 5.96 to 5.33 Ma (million years ago).
In Group: Deep-Time Climate Events, Lead sentence
The Messinian salinity crisis (also referred to as the Messinian event, and in its latest stage as the Lago Mare event) was an event in which the Mediterranean Sea dried up, in a cycle of partial or nearly complete desiccation throughout the latter part of the Messinian age of the Miocene epoch, from 5.96 to 5.33 Ma
View the SourceReader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.