Messinian Salinity Crisis (late Miocene)

E262867

Cenozoic event geological event paleoclimatic event salinity crisis

The Messinian Salinity Crisis (late Miocene) was a geological event during which the Mediterranean Sea nearly dried up after becoming isolated from the Atlantic, leading to massive salt deposition and dramatic environmental changes.

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All labels observed (5)

Label	Occurrences
Messinian Salinity Crisis	1
Messinian Salinity Crisis (late Miocene) canonical	1
Messinian Salinity Crisis in the Mediterranean	1
Messinian age	1
Zanclean flood	1

Statements (49)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	Cenozoic event ⓘ geological event ⓘ paleoclimatic event ⓘ salinity crisis ⓘ
alsoKnownAs	MSC ⓘ
cause	global sea‑level changes ⓘ restriction of Atlantic–Mediterranean seaway ⓘ tectonic uplift at the Strait of Gibraltar region ⓘ
characterizedBy	cyclic evaporite sequences ⓘ exposed deep Mediterranean basin floors ⓘ extreme hypersalinity in remaining water bodies ⓘ large peripheral brine lakes and playas ⓘ
duration	about 630,000 years ⓘ
effect	deep erosion of Mediterranean margins ⓘ extinctions and turnovers in marine biota ⓘ formation of thick salt layers ⓘ incision of deep canyons by rivers flowing into the Mediterranean ⓘ isolation of Mediterranean marine fauna from the Atlantic ⓘ major changes in regional climate ⓘ major changes in regional ecosystems ⓘ massive evaporite deposition ⓘ near desiccation of the Mediterranean Sea ⓘ
endTime	about 5.33 million years ago ⓘ
evidence	Messinian erosional surfaces on continental margins ⓘ deep drill cores from the Mediterranean seafloor ⓘ seismic reflection profiles in the Mediterranean ⓘ submarine canyons at river mouths ⓘ
followedBy	Messinian Salinity Crisis (late Miocene) self-linksurface differs ⓘ surface form: Zanclean flood opening of the modern Strait of Gibraltar connection ⓘ refilling of the Mediterranean Sea ⓘ
hasStage	evaporitic drawdown phase ⓘ reflooding phase ⓘ
locatedIn	Mediterranean Basin ⓘ Mediterranean Sea ⓘ
namedAfter	Messinian Salinity Crisis (late Miocene) self-linksurface differs ⓘ surface form: Messinian age
partOf	Cenozoic ⓘ surface form: Cenozoic Era Neogene ⓘ surface form: Neogene period late Miocene ⓘ
produced	anhydrite deposits ⓘ gypsum deposits ⓘ halite deposits ⓘ potash deposits ⓘ
startTime	about 5.96 million years ago ⓘ
studiedBy	marine geology ⓘ paleoclimatology ⓘ stratigraphy ⓘ tectonics ⓘ
temporalContext	end of the Messinian age ⓘ just before the Pliocene epoch ⓘ

Referenced by (5)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Neogene → hasMajorEvent → Messinian Salinity Crisis (late Miocene) ⓘ

Messinian Salinity Crisis (late Miocene) → namedAfter → Messinian Salinity Crisis (late Miocene) self-linksurface differs ⓘ

subject surface form: Messinian Salinity Crisis

this entity surface form: Messinian age

Messinian Salinity Crisis (late Miocene) → followedBy → Messinian Salinity Crisis (late Miocene) self-linksurface differs ⓘ

subject surface form: Messinian Salinity Crisis

this entity surface form: Zanclean flood

Miocene → notableEvent → Messinian Salinity Crisis (late Miocene) ⓘ

this entity surface form: Messinian Salinity Crisis in the Mediterranean

Late Miocene → associatedWith → Messinian Salinity Crisis (late Miocene) ⓘ

this entity surface form: Messinian Salinity Crisis