Conference:
RCMNS 14th Congres, Istanbul, Turkey, 8-12 September 2013, p.68.
Authors:
Speranta-Maria Popescu, Mihaela Carmen Melinte-Dobrinescu, Nadia Barhoun, Maria Angela Bassetti,, Romain Pellen, Damien Do Couto, Jean-Pierre Suc, Christian Gorini, Marina Rabineau.
Abstract:
In the Mediterranean, deposits rich in Paratethyan organisms (bivalvia: dreissenids and lymnocardiids; ostracod; dinoflagellate cysts) are linked to the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC). They are usually grouped within a single chronostratigraphic unit preceding the Messinian – Zanclean boundary, the socalled “Lago Mare” (Cita and Colombo, 1979; Orszag-Sperber, 2006; Manzi et al., 2013), which is supposed to represent temporary low salinity conditions. However, the evidence of three successive Lago Mare (LM) events (Clauzon et al., 2005; Popescu et al., 2007, 2009) led to an extensive micropaleontological research in the Mediterranean sections, both exposed onland (peripheral basins) and DSDP/ODP holes (central basins). Some exposed sections display such peculiar deposits enriched in fossils originated from the former Paratethys which belong to: LM1 (ending evaporitic sedimentation in peripheral basins) for example at Cava Serredi and Eraclea Minoa; LM3 (post-MSC reflooding) for example at Sorbas, Níjar, Malaga, Maccarone, Civitella del Tronto, Eraclea Minoa). Some DSDP/ODP Sites display such deposits which successively belong to LM2 (ending evaporitic deposition in central basins) and LM3. It appears that LM1 and LM2 illustrate high sea-level conditions with a temporary connection between the Mediterranean and Paratethys. Origin of the LM2 event is still enigmatic.