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
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
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
F. Andreetto, G. Aloisi, F. Raad, H. Heida, R. Flecker, K. Agiadi, J. Lofi, S. Blondel, F. Bulian, A. Camerlenghi, A. Caruso, R. Ebner, D. Garcia-Castellanos, V. Gaullier, L. Guibourdenche, Z. Gvirtzman, T. M. Hoyle, P. T. Meijer, J. Moneron, F. J. Sierro, G. Travan, A. Tzevahirtzian, I. Vasiliev, W. Krijgsman
Summary: The article summarizes the significant changes in the late Miocene evolution of the Mediterranean Basin, including salinity crises, geological sedimentation, and biological evolution. Studies have shown a transition in the hydrological regime of the Mediterranean from high salinity to low salinity, but the causes and mechanisms behind this change are still unclear.
EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS
(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
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Weizhao Yang, Nathalie Feiner, Daniele Salvi, Hanna Laakkonen, Daniel Jablonski, Catarina Pinho, Miguel A. Carretero, Roberto Sacchi, Marco A. L. Zuffi, Stefano Scali, Konstantinos Plavos, Panayiotis Pafilis, Nikos Poulakakis, Petros Lymberakis, David Jandzik, Ulrich Schulte, Fabien Aubret, Arnaud Badiane, Guillem Perez I de Lanuza, Javier Abalos, Geoffrey M. While, Tobias Uller
Summary: The study reveals the evolutionary history and genetic structure of common wall lizards using population genomic and phylogenomic analyses, identifying six major lineages and demonstrating the significant impact of Mediterranean geology and climate on the evolutionary history and population genetic structure of extant species.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
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.
Article
Geography, Physical
F. Andreetto, K. Matsubara, C. J. Beets, A. R. Fortuin, R. Flecker, W. Krijgsman
Summary: The debate over the water level of the Mediterranean during the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC) has been examined using sedimentary records and Sr isotope ratios of ostracods in marginal basins of SE Spain. The results suggest that these basins required an additional water source with a lower Sr isotope signature, likely derived from the main Mediterranean waterbody, indicating a relatively high and fluctuating water level in at least the Western Mediterranean during the Lago-Mare stage of the MSC.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Hanneke Heida, Fadl Raad, Daniel Garcia-Castellanos, Ivone Jimenez-Munt, Agnes Maillard, Johanna Lofi
Summary: During the Messinian Salinity Crisis, thick evaporites were deposited in the Mediterranean Sea, leading to major margin erosion. The Balearic Promontory and surrounding basins show different responses, providing valuable information on water level drop and halite deposition.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
F. Andreetto, R. Flecker, G. Aloisi, A. M. Mancini, L. Guibourdenche, S. de Villiers, W. Krijgsman
Summary: The research reconstructs the final phase of gypsum precipitation of the Late Miocene Mediterranean Salt Giant using micropaleontology, sedimentology, and 87Sr/86Sr analyses, revealing the impact of ocean chemistry on global climate and highlighting the restricted connectivity of salt giants with the global ocean, making the timing of Ca2+ extraction and return more uncertain.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2022)
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
Geology
Narjess El Euch-El Koundi, Marcello Gugliotta, Andrew J. Mitten
Summary: Alluvial fan deposits provide important information about paleoclimate, tectonic setting, and paleogeography. This study investigates the late Messinian alluvial fan deposits in the Kechabta Basin, Tunisia and reveals their sedimentological characteristics and evolution through detailed analysis.
SEDIMENTARY GEOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Vinicio Manzi, Rocco Gennari, Stefano Lugli, Matteo Reghizzi, Marco Roveri
Summary: The study presents a new Sr-87/Sr-86 curve for the Ain El Beida section in Morocco, which reveals potential relationships between high-amplitude hydrological changes in the Mediterranean and global paleoclimatic trends during the Messinian salinity crisis. The values obtained from planktic foraminifers show long- and short-term oscillations, with negative anomalies observed at insolation minima and positive anomalies at glacial stages. The deviation of the Mediterranean Sr isotope curve starting at around 6.5 Ma supports the hypothesis of a progressive restriction of the Atlantic connections leading to the MSC.
PALEOCEANOGRAPHY AND PALEOCLIMATOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geology
Mark M. Baum
Summary: The Messinian Salinity Crisis is considered one of the most significant periods of sea level change in recent geological history, with evaporite deposition in the Mediterranean basin recording dramatic environmental changes. The connection between evaporites and significant changes in Mediterranean sea level remains controversial, and a proposed model suggests that self-sustaining sea level oscillations triggered evaporite deposition. However, analysis shows that limit cycles are not a robust result of this model, as oscillations are found in only 0.2% of simulations.
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)
