Messinian salinity crisis

A late Miocene episode, about 5.97–5.33 million years ago, when restricted Atlantic inflow caused extensive evaporite deposition in the Mediterranean basin.

Zanclean flood: The rapid refilling of the Mediterranean at the start of the Pliocene, about 5.33 million years ago. It marks the crisis’s abrupt end when Atlantic water re-entered the Mediterranean.
Messinian: The final age of the Miocene Epoch, lasting from about 7.25 to 5.33 million years ago. The salinity crisis unfolded during this age.
Mediterranean Ridge: A broad submarine ridge in the eastern Mediterranean, formed largely by deformation of thick underlying salt deposits. Its structure reflects the burial and movement of crisis-era evaporites.
Deep desiccation model: A reconstruction in which Mediterranean water levels fell dramatically, exposing much of the basin floor during the crisis. It contrasts with interpretations that keep deep basins largely submerged beneath brine.
Messinian canyon incision: The cutting of deep valleys into Mediterranean margins and river systems during late Miocene water-level change. Incised canyons record erosion associated with the crisis’s changing base levels.
Gibraltar Arc: A curved mountain belt surrounding the western Mediterranean, formed by interaction between the African and Eurasian plates. Tectonic evolution near this arc helped restrict the Atlantic gateway.
Miocene: A geological epoch lasting from about 23.0 to 5.33 million years ago. The crisis occurred near the end of this epoch.
Nile deep-sea fan: A large submarine sediment fan built by the Nile River on the eastern Mediterranean seafloor. Its Messinian sediments preserve evidence of erosion and changing basin conditions.
Shallow-water model: A reconstruction in which much of the Mediterranean remained submerged while evaporites accumulated in relatively shallow water. It challenges the idea that the entire basin underwent extreme drawdown.
Mediterranean biogeography: The distribution and evolution of organisms across the Mediterranean region through geological time. Changing salinity and connectivity disrupted marine habitats and species distributions.

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