Messinian Stage

Messinian Stage
Name	Messinian Stage
Color	#ffd27f
Time start	7.246
Time end	5.333
Caption	Mediterranean stratigraphy, evaporite outcrop near Alicante
Chronology	Neogene, Miocene
Lithology	Evaporite, marl, sandstone, limestone
Named for	Messina
Named by	Rogério Cortes?

Messinian Stage The Messinian Stage is the latest stage of the Miocene Epoch in the Neogene, bounding the transition to the Pliocene and marking major changes recorded across the Mediterranean Sea, Atlantic Ocean, and continental basins. It encompasses dramatic evaporite deposition, sea-level changes, tectonic rearrangement associated with the African Plate–Eurasian Plate collision, and biological turnovers that connect to studies on the Pliocene epoch and deep-time events like the Cenozoic cooling.

Definition and Chronology

The stage is defined by stratigraphic markers tied to the Geologic time scale and magnetostratigraphy correlating to the Chron C3n.4n–Chron C2An intervals, constrained by radiometric ages used in ensembles such as the International Commission on Stratigraphy frameworks, astrochonologies derived from the Astronomical Theory of Paleoclimates, and biostratigraphic datums tied to planktonic foraminifera and nannofossil turnovers recorded in Mediterranean sections like the Vrica section and basins sampled during expeditions by research programs including the International Ocean Discovery Program and the earlier Deep Sea Drilling Project.

Stratigraphy and Lithology

Messinian successions feature interbedded marls, limestones, siliciclastics, and thick evaporites such as halite, gypsum, and anhydrite within marginal and basin settings documented in the Betic Cordillera, Apennines, Iberian Peninsula, Alboran Sea, and the Eastern Mediterranean. Key stratigraphic units include cyclic coupling of sapropelic black shales, diatomites, and massive salt layers recognized in outcrops at Sicily, Tunisia, and drill cores from the Gulf of Cadiz. Sedimentological analyses reference sequence stratigraphy methods developed by groups at Bristol University, ETH Zurich, and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography to interpret unconformities and depositional architecture influenced by tectonics associated with the Malta Escarpment and basinal isolation near the Gibraltar Arc.

Paleoclimate and Environmental Changes

Paleoclimate reconstructions for the stage synthesize oxygen isotope records from benthic foraminifera studied by teams at Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, alkenone paleotemperatures measured by researchers affiliated with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and pollen assemblages from cores curated by the Natural History Museum, London and the Spanish Geological Survey (IGME). These proxies reveal progressive aridification in the Mediterranean realm, seasonal amplification linked to orbital forcing investigated by scientists at CNRS and Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, and transient extremes in salinity and temperature that impacted regional circulation patterns discussed in modeling studies by groups at GEOMAR and Université Pierre et Marie Curie.

Messinian Salinity Crisis

The Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC) is the most prominent feature of the stage, involving near-desiccation of the Mediterranean Sea and massive evaporite burial interpreted from seismic surveys by teams at Basin and Petroleum Clubs, drill campaigns by the Mediterranean Drilling Project, and seismic-stratigraphic work at institutions such as IFREMER. Hypotheses about the MSC invoke gateway restriction at the Gibraltar Strait, tectonic uplift of the Betic-Rif Arc, and consequent evaporative drawdown explored in numerical models by researchers at Imperial College London and ETH Zurich. Debates persist over the timing, magnitude, and connectivity to oceanographic events like the Zanclean flood, with contributions from paleoceanographers at Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory and geologists publishing in outlets associated with the Geological Society of London.

Biotic Responses and Paleontology

Biotic records show extinction and speciation across marine and terrestrial realms, documented by paleontologists at the Natural History Museum, Vienna, Museo Geologico Giovanni Capellini, and universities including University of Granada and University of Pisa. Marine faunas such as molluscs, ostracods, and foraminifera exhibit turnover patterns tied to salinity stress, while vertebrate records including Mediterranean mammal faunas and hominoid dispersal evidence intersect with studies on the Messinian faunal turnover and faunal exchange via land bridges posited by researchers at University of Barcelona and the Smithsonian Institution. Palynological shifts recorded in cores curated by the British Geological Survey document vegetation changes across the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa.

Regional and Global Correlations

Correlations extend beyond the Mediterranean to the Atlantic Ocean, the Black Sea, and intracontinental basins in Spain, Morocco, and Greece, integrating magnetostratigraphy tied to the Geological Time Scale 2020 and chemostratigraphy compared with records from the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum and other Cenozoic events studied by collaborative networks including the International Geosphere–Biosphere Programme. The stage informs interpretations of plate interactions among the African Plate, Eurasian Plate, and microplates such as the Adriatic Plate and influences hydrocarbon prospectivity in basins surveyed by consortia including Schlumberger and national geological surveys.

History of Research and Nomenclature

Named for the city of Messina and formalized through stratigraphic work by Mediterranean geologists, the stage’s concept evolved via contributions from fieldworkers at institutions like the Università degli Studi di Milano, marine campaigns by R/V Knorr and R/V Marion Dufresne, and debates at conferences of the European Geosciences Union and the American Geophysical Union. Nomenclatural decisions and Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point discussions have involved the International Commission on Stratigraphy and specialists from the Geological Society of America, with ongoing refinements driven by multidisciplinary datasets from the Mediterranean Sea and continental archives.

Category:Geologic stages