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Antarctic glacio-eustatic contributions to late Miocene Mediterranean desiccation and reflooding

Author

Listed:
  • Christian Ohneiser

    (University of Otago)

  • Fabio Florindo

    (Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Via di Vigna Murata 605)

  • Paolo Stocchi

    (NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Physical Oceanography (FYS))

  • Andrew P. Roberts

    (Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University)

  • Robert M. DeConto

    (University of Massachusetts)

  • David Pollard

    (Earth and Environmental Systems Institute, Pennsylvania State University, University Park)

Abstract

The Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC) was a marked late Neogene oceanographic event during which the Mediterranean Sea evaporated. Its causes remain unresolved, with tectonic restrictions to the Atlantic Ocean or glacio-eustatic restriction of flow during sea-level lowstands, or a mixture of the two mechanisms, being proposed. Here we present the first direct geological evidence of Antarctic ice-sheet (AIS) expansion at the MSC onset and use a δ18O record to model relative sea-level changes. Antarctic sedimentary successions indicate AIS expansion at 6 Ma coincident with major MSC desiccation; relative sea-level modelling indicates a prolonged ∼50 m lowstand at the Strait of Gibraltar, which resulted from AIS expansion and local evaporation of sea water in concert with evaporite precipitation that caused lithospheric deformation. Our results reconcile MSC events and demonstrate that desiccation and refilling were timed by the interplay between glacio-eustatic sea-level variations, glacial isostatic adjustment and mantle deformation in response to changing water and evaporite loads.

Suggested Citation

  • Christian Ohneiser & Fabio Florindo & Paolo Stocchi & Andrew P. Roberts & Robert M. DeConto & David Pollard, 2015. "Antarctic glacio-eustatic contributions to late Miocene Mediterranean desiccation and reflooding," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 6(1), pages 1-10, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:6:y:2015:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms9765
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms9765
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    Cited by:

    1. Hong Ao & Eelco J. Rohling & Ran Zhang & Andrew P. Roberts & Ann E. Holbourn & Jean-Baptiste Ladant & Guillaume Dupont-Nivet & Wolfgang Kuhnt & Peng Zhang & Feng Wu & Mark J. Dekkers & Qingsong Liu & , 2021. "Global warming-induced Asian hydrological climate transition across the Miocene–Pliocene boundary," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-13, December.

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