Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
A. G. Mousouliotis, S. Pechlivanidou, K. Albanakis, A. Georgakopoulos, B. Medvedev
Summary: Salt-bearing basins are commonly deformed due to gravity mechanisms and regional tectonics, with the study area in the eastern part of the Herodotus Basin showing deformation associated with the flow of Messinian salt deposited during the Messinian Salinity Crisis. The research reveals significant thickness variations of the salt sequence and overlying sediments, as well as distinct salt-tectonic structural provinces characterized by different deformation styles. The compressional thickening of the Messinian salt driven by gravity mechanisms results in the absence of a bathymetric step on the seafloor in the western side of the study area.
MARINE AND PETROLEUM GEOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geology
Tim K. Lowenstein, Mebrahtu F. Weldeghebriel, Ido Sirota, Haggai Eyal, Ziv Mor, Nadav G. Lensky
Summary: Sedimentological studies of modern halites have focused on shallow water to subaerially-exposed saline pans, while this paper specifically describes the diagnostic sedimentary features of clastic halite from a modern outcrop along the north-western Dead Sea coastline. The research also provides criteria for identifying clastic halite in the rock record, shedding light on the deposition process and characteristics of this type of salt rock.
Article
Geography, Physical
V Manzi, R. Gennari, S. Lugli, D. Persico, M. Roveri, I Gavrieli, Z. Gvirtzman
Summary: The study reveals that the onset of the MSC occurred simultaneously in deep- and shallow-water settings, leading to a rapid accumulation of massive salt deposits in deep basins within a short period of approximately 60 kyr. This rapid sedimentation rate may have negative impacts on marine organisms.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geology
Mario Borrelli, Edoardo Perri, Salvatore Critelli, Laurent Gindre-Chanu
Summary: The Calcare di Base, formed before the massive halite deposition in the Mediterranean region, has been a subject of debate regarding its genesis, environmental conditions, and deposition timing. It is extensively found in Southern Italy, where a continental/shallow-marine to slope system was active during the onset of the Messinian Salinity Crisis. The deposition of Calcare di Base occurred in an arid climate regime with intermittent humid phases, leading to widespread carbonate and evaporitic deposition in a sabkha-type environment.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Michael S. Dale, Hector Marin-Moreno, Ismael Himar Falcon-Suarez, Carlos Grattoni, Jonathan M. Bull, Lisa C. McNeill
Summary: This study quantifies the evolution of overpressure at two distinct locations in the Western Mediterranean, showing that high overpressure can be generated in salt basins under conditions of high deposition rates and low permeabilities.
Review
Physics, Multidisciplinary
William B. F. Ryan
Summary: The first deep-sea drilling expedition in the Mediterranean uncovered unexpected discoveries, including sediment layers indicating a substantial drying of the Mediterranean during the Messinian Salinity Crisis. Researchers were initially uncertain about the depth and origins of the Mediterranean Basins and the presence of microfossils from both ocean and lagoon environments. Through 50 years of investigations, stable isotopes have provided crucial evidence supporting the hypothesis of a significant desiccation event in the Mediterranean.
RIVISTA DEL NUOVO CIMENTO
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Paul Meijer
Summary: This study investigates semi-enclosed seas through the application of basic theory, examining how basin geometry, connectivity, and atmospheric forcing control basin-averaged salinity and temperature. Analysis of Mediterranean region data is used to illustrate the interpretations, focusing on phenomena like the Messinian Salinity Crisis and precessional variations in the Mediterranean Sea record. The study also incorporates heat balance and the interplay of basin temperature and salinity under different conditions.
EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Massimo Bellucci, Daniel Aslanian, Maryline Moulin, Marina Rabineau, Estelle Leroux, Romain Pellen, Jeffrey Poort, Anna Del Ben, Christian Gorini, Angelo Camerlenghi
Summary: The study of salt tectonics at salt-bearing margins reveals differences in the Western Mediterranean Sea compared to other regions, with a clear relationship between salt structures and crustal segmentation. The influence of temperature parameters on salt deformation is suggested to play a significant role in the mechanisms of salt tectonics.
EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
F. Pilade, I. Vasiliev, D. Birgel, F. Dela Pierre, M. Natalicchio, A. Mancini, G. Carnevale, R. Gennari
Summary: This study uses alkenone-based proxies and other data to reconstruct surface water temperatures and paleoenvironmental conditions in the Mediterranean basin during the late Miocene to early Pliocene period. The results suggest that the Mediterranean basin gradually returned to marine conditions before the end of the late Miocene, and fully marine conditions were established in the early Pliocene. This highlights the importance of alkenone-based proxies in environmental reconstruction, especially when fossil records of primary producers are limited.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
George Kontakiotis, Geanina A. Butiseaca, Assimina Antonarakou, Konstantina Agiadi, Stergios D. Zarkogiannis, Emilija Krsnik, Evangelia Besiou, Willem Jan Zachariasse, Lucas Lourens, Danae Thivaiou, Efterpi Koskeridou, Pierre Moissette, Andreas Mulch, Vasileios Karakitsios, Iuliana Vasiliev
Summary: This study describes the hydroclimate evolution of the eastern Mediterranean Basin during the early Messinian time interval. The results reveal a negative water budget and strong hydrologic and climate variability during this period, with three distinct phases identified. The study provides important data for temperature and salinity estimates during the Mediterranean Messinian, complementing existing modeling assessments.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Marine
Paolo Lazzari, Eva Alvarez, Elena TerziC, Gianpiero Cossarini, Ilya Chernov, Fabrizio D'Ortenzio, Emanuele Organelli
Summary: This study used a 3D biogeochemical model to investigate the spatial and temporal variability of chromophoric-dissolved organic matter in the Mediterranean Sea, analyzing the dynamics of dissolved organic carbon, CDOM source and degradation processes, as well as optical properties. The results showed that different parameterizations of DOC-release influenced the accumulation of CDOM in the eastern Mediterranean and resulted in different reflectance characteristics, highlighting the importance of the bio-optical model in validating hypotheses on CDOM cycling.
JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Geology
Gijs van Dijk, Jasper Maars, Federico Andreetto, F. Javier Hernandez-Molina, Francisco. J. J. Rodriguez-Tovar, Wout Krijgsman
Summary: A unique sedimentary deposit called the Arenazzolo Formation in the Sicilian Caltanissetta Basin, Italy, has been studied to understand its origin and its link to the Messinian Salinity Crisis. This sandy deposit was formed by persistent bottom currents during a transgression, possibly associated with the reconnection of major isolated water bodies.
Article
Geography, Physical
Zhiguang Xia, Yongjie Lin, Haizhen Wei, Zhongya Hu, Chuan Liu, Weiqiang Li
Summary: This study examines the response of magnesium isotopes in a terrestrial evaporite section of the Middle Pleistocene halite deposit in the Qaidam Basin, Northwest China, to environmental events. The results show that magnesium isotopes can be a sensitive tracer of basin hydrology and help unravel paleoclimatic events.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Itay J. Reznik, Ittai Gavrieli
Summary: Considerable landscape changes due to a planned salt-harvest disposal project in the unique Dead Sea environment can be mitigated using the geochemical and engineering solution presented in this study. The study examines the feasibility of dissolving and disposing of the dredged halite in a dissolved state in the Dead Sea using seawater or desalination reject brine. The results show that the high solubility and fast dissolution kinetics of halite in seawater/brine are sufficient for disposal.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Luca Pisani, Jo De Waele
Summary: The Cordillera de la Sal is a fold-and-thrust belt located in the hyper-arid climate of the Atacama Desert, containing important Oligocene-Miocene continental sediments and well-developed underground cave systems. Remote sensing analysis and ground-truthing methods were used to map lithological units and candidate cave entrances in the region, showing potential for reliable speleological explorations. The integrated approach highlights the reliability of identifying cave entrances through image analysis and GIS processing, with implications for decision-making in cave exploration on other planetary bodies.
Article
Geology
Dirk Simon, Dan Palcu, Paul Meijer, Wout Krijgsman
Article
Geography, Physical
Oleg Mandic, Karin Sant, Madalina-Elena Kallanxhi, Stjepan Coric, Doerte Theobalt, Patrick Grunert, Arjan de Leeuw, Wout Krijgsman
GLOBAL AND PLANETARY CHANGE
(2019)
Article
Geography, Physical
Iuliana Vasiliev, Gert-Jan Reichart, Wout Krijgsman, Andreas Mulch
GLOBAL AND PLANETARY CHANGE
(2019)
Article
Geography, Physical
Christiaan G. C. Van Baak, Arjen Grothe, Keith Richards, Marius Stoica, Elmira Aliyeva, Gareth R. Davies, Klaudia F. Kuiper, Wout Krijgsman
GLOBAL AND PLANETARY CHANGE
(2019)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Li Wu, Rujian Wang, Wout Krijgsman, Zhihua Chen, Wenshen Xiao, Shulan Ge, Jiawang Wu
GEOCHEMISTRY GEOPHYSICS GEOSYSTEMS
(2019)
Article
Geography, Physical
Larisa A. Golovina, Eleonora P. Radionova, Christiaan G. C. van Baak, Wout Krijgsman, Dan V. Palcu
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
K. Sant, D. V. Palcu, E. Turco, A. Di Stefano, N. Baldassini, T. Kouwenhoven, K. F. Kuiper, W. Krijgsman
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EARTH SCIENCES
(2019)
Article
Geology
Elisabeth L. Jorissen, Hemmo A. Abels, Frank P. Wesselingh, Sergei Lazarev, Vusala Aghayeva, Wout Krijgsman
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Felix Hofmayer, Uwe Kirscher, Karin Sant, Wout Krijgsman, Thomas Fritzer, Dietmar Jung, Vinzenz Weissbrodt, Bettina Reichenbacher
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EARTH SCIENCES
(2019)
Article
Geography, Physical
Sergei Lazarev, Elisabeth L. Jorissen, Sabrina van de Velde, Lea Rausch, Marius Stoica, Frank P. Wesselingh, Christiaan G. C. van Baak, Tamara A. Yanina, Elmira Aliyeva, Wout Krijgsman
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2019)
Article
Geography, Physical
Erhan Gulyuz, Hulya Durak, Murat Ozkaptan, Wout Krijgsman
GLOBAL AND PLANETARY CHANGE
(2020)
Article
Geography, Physical
A. van der Boon, R. van der Ploeg, M. J. Crarnwinckel, K. F. Kuiper, S. V. Popov, I. P. Tabachnikova, D. V. Palcu, W. Krijgsman
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
K. Sant, D. V. Palcu, E. Turco, A. Di Stefano, N. Baldassini, T. Kouwenhoven, K. F. Kuiper, W. Krijgsman
Article
Ecology
Sabrina van de Velde, Elisabeth L. Jorissen, Thomas A. Neubauer, Silviu Radan, Ana Bianca Pavel, Marius Stoica, Christiaan G. C. Van Baak, Alberto Martinez Gandara, Luis Popa, Henko de Stigter, Hemmo A. Abels, Wout Krijgsman, Frank P. Wesselingh
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Walter Capella, Rachel Flecker, F. Javier Hernandez-Molina, Dirk Simon, Paul Th Meijer, Mike Rogerson, Francisco J. Sierro, Wout Krijgsman
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2019)