The Mediterranean's Ancient Disappearance: A Geological Mystery
TL;DR Summary
Scientists have uncovered the process behind the Messinian Salinity Crisis, a geological event 5.5 million years ago that transformed the Mediterranean Sea into a massive salt basin, losing up to 70% of its water volume. This occurred in two phases: an initial salt deposition in the eastern Mediterranean and a rapid evaporative drawdown affecting the entire basin, causing significant sea-level drops. These findings, published in Nature Communications, enhance understanding of past geological phenomena and their global impacts.
Topics:science#evaporation#geological-event#mediterranean-sea#messinian-salinity-crisis#science#sea-level-change
- How 70% of the Mediterranean Sea was lost 5.5 million years ago Phys.org
- The Mediterranean Sea May Vanish Someday, Just As It Did Before IFLScience
- The Great Mediterranean Drain: How 70% of Its Water Vanished in a Geological Crisis SciTechDaily
- Chlorine isotopes constrain a major drawdown of the Mediterranean Sea during the Messinian Salinity Crisis Nature.com
- Artistic representation of the Gibraltar sill rupture at the end of the Messinian Salinity Crisis. (IMAGE) EurekAlert
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