Multidisciplinary study of Marine archives: reconstruc- tion of Sea-level, Sediment yields, Sediment sources, Paleoclimate, Paleoceanography and vertical movement on margins: examples from the Western Mediterranean Sea

M. Rabineau, R. Pellen, V. Pasquier, M. Belucci, S. Badhani,  S. Molliex, M. Garcia-Garcia, E.Leroux, M. Arab, D. Do Couto, G.Jouet, F. Bache,  E. Miramontes, J. Lofi, M. Moulin, P. Schnurle, J. Poort, B. Dennielou, A. Afilhado, S.-M.Popescu, M.-A. Bassetti, S. Toucanne, S. Révillon, A. Cattaneo, D. Granjeon, C. Gorini, J.-P. Suc, S.Cloetingh, P. Joseph, F. Guillocheau, S. Berné, L. Droz, J.-L. Rubino, D. Aslanian.

The numerous processes (superficial and deep) occurring on margins, their origins, consequences, interactions and quantifications are only very par- tially described and understood. The identification of the relative role of factors is sometimes completely contradictory between authors. Here, we show the re- sults of a long term multidecadal and multidisciplinary study (using geophysi- cal, geological, stratigraphic, paleontological, geomorphologic, geochemical, microbiological and numerical model) in the Western Mediterranean Sea, that acts as a natural laboratory at many different scales. We show how sediments efficiently record at the same time: variations of glacio-eustatic sea-level changes, variations of sediments yield and sources, and also enable to quantify vertical movements and geodynamic worldwide events but also detailed region- al mass transport, turbidites and contourites deposits. They are also an archive of paleoclimatic, palaeoceanographic and diagenetic processes.

Sea-level, Subsidence, Sediment yields, Erosion, Isostasy, Messini- an, Pliocene, Quaternary, Mass-transport, Contourites.