The onset of the Messinian salinity crisis in the deep Eastern Mediterranean basin |
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| Authors: | Vinicio Manzi Rocco Gennari Stefano Lugli Davide Persico Matteo Reghizzi Marco Roveri B Charlotte Schreiber Ran Calvo Ittai Gavrieli Zohar Gvirtzman |
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| Affiliation: | 1. University of Parma, Parma, Italy;2. ALP, Alpine Laboratory of Palaeomagnetism, Peveragno, CN, Italy;3. University of Turin, Turin, Italy;4. University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy;5. University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA;6. Geological Survey of Israel, Jerusalem, Israel;7. Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel |
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| Abstract: | Astronomical tuning of the Messinian pre‐salt succession in the Levant Basin allows for the first time the reconstruction of a detailed chronology of the Messinian salinity crisis (MSC) events in deep setting and their correlation with marginal records that supports the CIESM ( 2008 ) 3‐stage model. Our main conclusions are (1) MSC events were synchronous across marginal and deep basins, (2) MSC onset in deep basins occurred at 5.97 Ma, (3) only foraminifera‐barren, evaporite‐free shales accumulated in deep settings between 5.97 and 5.60 Ma, (4) deep evaporites (anhydrite and halite) deposition started later, at 5.60 Ma and (5) new and published 87Sr/86Sr data indicate that during all stages, evaporites precipitated from the same water body in all the Mediterranean sub‐basins. The wide synchrony of events and 87Sr/86Sr homogeneity implies inter‐sub‐basin connection during the whole MSC and is not compatible with large sea‐level fall and desiccation of the Mediterranean. |
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