Effects Messinian salinity crisis

1 effects

1.1 effects on biology
1.2 global effects
1.3 dehydrated geography

effects
effects on biology

artistic interpretation of mediterranean geography during evaporative drawdown, after complete disconnection atlantic. rivers carved deep gorges in exposed continental margins; concentration of salt in remaining water bodies led rapid precipitation. inset evokes transit of mammals (e.g., camels , mice) africa iberia across exposed gibraltar strait.




messinian salinity crisis animation

the messinian event provided opportunity many african species, including antelopes, elephants , hippopotamuses, migrate empty basin, close descending great rivers, reach interior wetter cooler highlands such malta: sea level dropping, such species not have been able cross wide hot empty sink @ maximum dryness. after return of sea water, remained on islands, underwent insular dwarfism during pleistocene on crete (hippopotamus creutzburgi), on cyprus (h. minor), on malta (h. melitensis) , sicily (h. pentlandi). of these, cyprus dwarf hippopotamus survived until end of pleistocene or holocene. of these species may have crossed sea when flooded, washed out sea on rafts of floating vegetation, or species (e.g. elephants) swimming.

global effects

the water mediterranean have been redistributed in world ocean, raising global sea level as 10 m (33 ft). mediterranean basin sequestered below seabed significant percentage of salt earth s oceans; decreased average salinity of world ocean , raised freezing point.

dehydrated geography

a possible palaeogeographical reconstruction of west end of miocene mediterranean. north left.


s sorbas basin, spain

r rifean corridor

b betic corridor

g strait of gibraltar

m mediterranean sea

the notion of waterless mediterranean sea has corollaries.

at time, strait of gibraltar not open, other seaways (the betic corridor north sierra nevada or baetic cordillera now, or south rifean corridor or corridors rif mountains now) linked mediterranean atlantic. these must have closed, isolating basin open ocean.
the high level of salinity cannot tolerated many known organisms, factor in reducing biodiversity of of basin.
the basin s low altitude have made extremely hot during summer through adiabatic heating, conclusion supported presence of anhydrite, deposited in water warmer 35 °c (95 °f).
rivers emptying basin have cut beds deeper (at least further 2,400 m (7,900 ft) in case of nile, buried canyon under cairo shows) , in rhone valley (gargani, 2004).




^ a. simmons (2000). faunal extinction in island society: pygmy hippopotamus hunters of cyprus . geoarchaeology. 15 (4): 379–381. doi:10.1002/(sici)1520-6548(200004)15:4<379::aid-gea7>3.0.co;2-e. 
^ petronio, c. (1995). note on taxonomy of pleistocene hippopotamuses (pdf). ibex. 3: 53–55. archived original (pdf) on 2008-09-12. retrieved 2008-08-23. 
^ cite error: named reference autogenerated1 invoked never defined (see page).
^ warren, john k. (2006). evaporites: sediments, resources , hydrocarbons. birkhäuser. p. 147. isbn 978-3-540-26011-0. 
^ majithia, margaret; nely, georges, eds. (1994). evaporite sequences in petroleum exploration: geological methods. editions technip. isbn 978-2-7108-0624-0. 
^ vast grand canyon lurks 8,200 feet beneath cairo, egypt . biot report 403. september 21, 2006. 
^ gargani j.; rigollet c; scarselli s. isostatic response , geomorphological evolution of nile valley during messinian salinity crisis . bull. soc. geol. fr. 181: 19–26. doi:10.2113/gssgfbull.181.1.19. 
^ gargani j. modelling of erosion in rhone valley during messinian crisis (france) . quaternary international. 121: 13–22. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2004.01.020.