Messinian Event Flashcards
What is the pattern for global sea level fluctuations?
cyclic/sinusoidal (related to plate tectonics)
What was Amadeaus Grabau’s work on?
crustal features of the Earth were caused by the rhythmic rise and fall of sea levels
What was Barrell’s work on?
portrayed cycels in the context of changing base levels (sinusoidal rhythms on sinusoidal rhythms)
Describe the Sloss diagram.
cratonic cycles - cycle of land exposure due to tectonic cycles
what characterisics of the stratigraphic record does the sedimentological record not address?
- omissions of geological time between layers
- sedimentary deposits that display anomalous depositional energies
- fossil-rich levels such as bone-beds
which principle says that the present is the key to the past?
uniformitarianism/gradualism
catastrophism vs catastrophic uniformitarianism
- catastrophism: features seen on the surface of the Earth were formed by large, abrupt changes (i.e. catastrophes)
- catastrophic uniformitarianism: both slow and fast processes shaped the Earth and Geological record
What is the deadliest type of severe weather?
flooding
what is a flood?
overflow of water that submerges land that is usually dry
tsunami vs jokuhlaup
- tsunami: caused by land movement; anomalous flooding
- jokulhlaup: caused by very rapid melting associated with volcanism; glacial melting
What do the Scablands represent? Does it demonstrate catastrophism or uniformitarianism?
- scars of a massive ancient flood
- catastrophism
myth of the origin of the Mediterranean Sea
Hercules dug an inlet between Africa and Europe –> allow ocean to flow into the Mediterranean Basin
When did the Mediterranean dry up? When did it flood?
- dry = Messinian
- flood = Zanclean
Which landscape formation caused the idea of gradualism to be challenged?
Scablands
which lake emptied, causing the flood that created the Scablands?
Lake Missoula in Montana
What were the peak rates of sea level rise in the Mediterrranean during the Zanclean flood?
more than 10 meters per day
Via which strait did the Zanclean flood occur?
Strait of Gibraltar
In which epoch did the Zanclean flood occur?
Pliocene
In which epoch did the Messinian salinity crisis occur?
Miocene
what was the major compound left behind after evaporation in the Messinian salinity crisis?
halite (and carbonates/sulfates)
In absolute age, when did the Messinian salinity crisis occur?
5.6 million years ago
Where is Messinian salt mined in Italy?
Realmonte Mine in Sicily
In absolute age, when did the Zanclean flood occur?
5.33 million years ago
order of events during Zanclean flood
- time of maximum erosion rate at the strait of Gibraltar
- western basin level reaches Sicily sill
- eastern basin level reaches Sicily sill
- mediterranean is filled to normal oceanic level
