Catastrophic flood of the Mediterranean after the Messinian salinity crisis

D. Garcia-Castellanos (), F. Estrada, I. Jiménez-Munt, C. Gorini, M. Fernàndez, J. Vergés and R. De Vicente
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D. Garcia-Castellanos: Institut de Ciències de la Terra Jaume Almera, CSIC, Solé i Sabarís s/n, Barcelona, Spain
F. Estrada: Institut de Ciències del Mar, CSIC, Passg. Marítim Barceloneta, 37-49, Barcelona, Spain
I. Jiménez-Munt: Institut de Ciències de la Terra Jaume Almera, CSIC, Solé i Sabarís s/n, Barcelona, Spain
C. Gorini: Université Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC) Paris 06,
M. Fernàndez: Institut de Ciències de la Terra Jaume Almera, CSIC, Solé i Sabarís s/n, Barcelona, Spain
J. Vergés: Institut de Ciències de la Terra Jaume Almera, CSIC, Solé i Sabarís s/n, Barcelona, Spain
R. De Vicente: Institut de Ciències de la Terra Jaume Almera, CSIC, Solé i Sabarís s/n, Barcelona, Spain

Nature, 2009, vol. 462, issue 7274, 778-781

Abstract: Taken at the flood Around 5.6 million years ago the Mediterranean Sea became disconnected from the world's oceans and during the period that followed, known as the Messinian salinity crisis, sea levels fell dramatically as the waters evaporated. The water returned, about 5.3 million years ago, but the details about this, the largest known flood in Earth's history, remain sketchy. A study making use of boreholes, seismic data and numerical modelling suggests that it was a catastrophic event: though it started as a trickle that may have lasted several thousand years, as much as 90% of the incoming water was transferred in less than two years. Such an abrupt flood may have involved peak rates of sea level rise of more than 10 metres a day.

Date: 2009
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DOI: 10.1038/nature08555

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