A critical re-evaluation of the Miocene/Pliocene boundary as defined in the Mediterranean

Hilgen, F.J.; Langereis, C.G.

doi:10.1016/0012-821x(93)90166-7

Cited by 85 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 37 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Concerning the latter, the problem of the selection of an appropriate Global Standard Stratotype-section and Point (GSSP) of the Zanclean Stage strongly depends upon the demonstration of the absence of a significant hiatus across the Messinian/Zanclean boundary. This boundary was formally proposed in the Capo Rossello section by Cita (1975a) and subsequently proved to correlate with the fifth precession-related astronomical cycle below the Thvera magnetic event (Zijderveld et al, 1991;Hilgen, 1991b;Hilgen and Langereis, 1993). From a biostratigraphic point of view, the Messinian/Zanclean boundary is usually regarded as poorly constrained in the Mediterranean area, because of the basically nonmarine nature of the upper Messinian sediments (e.g., Arenazzolo Formation in Sicily) and of the lack of globally recognized nannofossil and foraminiferal bioevents in the very basal Zanclean.…”

Section: Background and Objectivesmentioning

confidence: 83%

Calcareous nannofossils in the basal Zanclean of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea: remarks on paleoceanography and sapropel formation

Castradori¹

1998

Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, 160 Scientific Results

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper presents the results of a study on nannofossil assemblages in the uppermost Messinian and basal Zanclean sediments recovered from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Holes 969B (south of Crete) and 967A (north of the Eratosthenes Seamount) located in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Focus of the research is on (1) the micropaleontological signature of the basically nonmarine facies of the uppermost Messinian interval; (2) the correlation of the Messinian/Zanclean boundary outside the Mediterranean by means of nannofossil biostratigraphy; and (3) the mechanism of sapropel formation in the earliest Pliocene. The main results are summarized as follows:1. The Messinian sediments are characterized by assemblages dominated by diagenetic resistant and long-ranging Neogene species, absence of typical upper Tortonian-Messinian species, high abundance of reworked taxa of Cenozoic and Cretaceous age, and high abundance of gypsum crystals and dolomite. All evidence listed above point to the absence of a primary marine signature in the nannofossil assemblages of the sediments. A noticeable exception, constituted by anomalous abundance of Sphenolithus spp., which suggests a possible (marginal) marine signature, is documented.2. The recovery of some specimens of Triquetrorhabdulus rugosus and of Ceratolithus acutus overlapping each other in the basal Zanclean suggests that, contrary to what has been reported by most authors, the last appearance datum (LAD) of T. rugosus and the first appearance datum (FAD) of C. acutus do not exactly coincide. This was already reported from the Ceara Rise (ODP Leg 154), where the FAD of C. acutus was found immediately below the cyclostratigraphically correlated position of the Messinian/Zanclean boundary. These closely spaced bioevents can be considered as a valuable tool, in addition to magnetostratigraphy and astrocyclostratigraphy, for the recognition and worldwide traceability of the Messinian/Zanclean boundary.3. Based on a model by Molfino and McIntyre, fluctuation in abundance of Florisphaera profunda, a peculiar nannoplankton species living in the lower part of the photic zone, is interpreted to represent nutrient availability within different levels of the photic zone. Thus, positive peaks of F. profunda were connected by the author to the presence of a deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM) at times of sapropel formation, a concept previously introduced by Rohling and Gieskes for the mid-Pleistocene to Holocene time interval.Abundance peaks of Florisphaera profunda are recorded in all five sapropel layers recovered in the basal Zanclean of ODP Hole 969B. Therefore, the DCM model may be tentatively applied also to the earliest Pliocene and probably to the whole sapropel sequence of the Mediterranean area, since the late Miocene.The recovery of abundance peaks of Discoaster pentaradiatus in most sapropels (together with the decreased abundance of Coccolithus pelagicus in some of them), suggests that these sapropels probably correlate with the marls (and not the limestones) of the rhy...

show abstract

Section: Background and Objectivesmentioning

confidence: 83%

Calcareous nannofossils in the basal Zanclean of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea: remarks on paleoceanography and sapropel formation

Castradori¹

1998

Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, 160 Scientific Results

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…earlier than the Zanclean GSSP. The related time-interval should be about 130 kyr, taking the 6.5 dark-light cycles of the Arenazzolo Formation as precessional cycles just as those of the immediately overlying Trubi Formation (Hilgen and Langereis, 1993). Hence, the base of the Arenazzolo Formation would date from ca.…”

Section: Eraclea Minoa Is the Only Mediterranean Section Wherementioning

confidence: 99%

Galeacysta etruscacomplex: Dinoflagellate cyst marker of paratethyan influxes to the Mediterranean sea before and after the peak of the messinian salinity crisis

Popescu¹,

Dalesme²,

Jouannic³

et al. 2009

Palynology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

2009) Galeacysta etrusca complex: Dinoflagellate cyst marker of paratethyan influxes to the Mediterranean sea before and after the peak of the messinian salinity crisis, Palynology, 33:2, 105-134, AbstractMore than one thousand specimens of a morphological complex including Galeacysta etrusca Corradini & Biffi 1988 from 11 Upper Miocene and Lower Pliocene localities of the Paratethyan and Mediterranean realms have been studied using a biometric approach in part relating to the degree of separation between endocyst and ectocyst. Four stable biometric groups have been distinguished statistically, the occurrence or prevalence of which appears closely linked to environmental conditions irrespective of the realm. Group 'a' is related to brackish conditions, group 'b' to marine conditions, group 'c' to freshwater, and group 'd' to high nutrient levels. Based on an accurate chronology provided by calcareous nannoplankton bioevents and recognition of the Messinian Erosional Surface, this study reveals:Palynology, 33 (2) 2009:105-134 Downloaded by [Northeastern University] at 17:47 01 December 2014 106 PALYNOLOGY, VOLUME 33(2) -2009(1) the high sensitivity of the Galeacysta etrusca complex for reconstructing paleoenvironments and discriminating phases of connection and isolation of basins;(2) the detailed history of this species complex which originated in the Pannonian Basin at ca. 8 Ma before invading the Dacic Basin during the interval 6-5.60 Ma, then migrating into the Mediterranean during high sea-level connections (the 'Lago Mare' events just before and after the peak of the Messinian Salinity Crisis, i.e. at 5.60 Ma and during the interval ca. 5. respectively), and finally into the Black Sea at ca. 5.13 Ma;(3) an improved paleogeography for the Mediterranean and Paratethyan realms with focus on the location of corridors and the timing of when they were active.Based on field observations and dinoflagellate cyst data, we propose that the reflooding of the Mediterranean Basin by Atlantic waters occurred at ca. 5.46 Ma, about 130 kyr before the Zanclean GSSP (5.332 Ma).

show abstract

“…More recently, the top of the Messinian lower evaporites has been astronomically calibrated at 5.61 F 0.02 Ma (Krijgsman et al, 1999b). Considering an age of 5.32 F 0.02 Ma for the end of the Messinian Stage (Hilgen, 1991;Hilgen and Langereis, 1993;Berggren et al, 1995), more recently updated to 5.33 F 0.02 Ma (Lourens et al, 1996;Krijgsman et al, 1999a,b), the duration of the latest Messinian postdating the salinity crisis is about 280 kyr.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

High-frequency cyclicity in the latest Messinian Adriatic foreland basin: Insight into palaeoclimate and palaeoenvironments of the Mediterranean Lago-Mare episode

Cosentino

Cipollari

Mastro

et al. 2005

Sedimentary Geology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A critical re-evaluation of the Miocene/Pliocene boundary as defined in the Mediterranean

Cited by 85 publications

References 37 publications

Calcareous nannofossils in the basal Zanclean of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea: remarks on paleoceanography and sapropel formation

Calcareous nannofossils in the basal Zanclean of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea: remarks on paleoceanography and sapropel formation

Galeacysta etruscacomplex: Dinoflagellate cyst marker of paratethyan influxes to the Mediterranean sea before and after the peak of the messinian salinity crisis

High-frequency cyclicity in the latest Messinian Adriatic foreland basin: Insight into palaeoclimate and palaeoenvironments of the Mediterranean Lago-Mare episode

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About