Coincidence or not? Interconnected gas/fluid migration and ocean–atmosphere oscillations in the Levant Basin

Lazar, Michael; Lang, Guy; Schattner, Uri

doi:10.1007/s00367-016-0447-5

Cited by 18 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…After the salinity crisis, marine conditions were restored and continuous sediment supply from the margin and the Nile Delta accumulated in the basin. The Plio-Quaternary succession consists of up to a kilometer of fine-grained material in the deep basin, while sandy and silty sediments along the Levant Margin accumulates to more than 1.5 km and currently prograding basinwards (Gardosh et al, 2008;Hübscher, Betzler, & Reiche, 2016;Lazar, Lang, & Schattner, 2016). The Messinian to Recent succession in the Levant Basin has undergone drastic deformation in several deformation phases (Bertoni & Cartwright, 2007;Gvirtzman et al, 2013;Kartveit et al, 2018;Netzeband et al, 2006).…”

Section: Geologic Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence of sea level drawdown at the end of the Messinian salinity crisis and seismic investigation of the Nahr Menashe unit in the northern Levant Basin, offshore Lebanon

2019

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Several important aspects of the Messinian salinity crisis (MSC) are still subject to controversy and debate after more than 40 years of studies. Recent work from the eastern Mediterranean have provided a renewed stratigraphic framework for the basin that is inconsistent with previous interpretation studies in the area. This study presents a description of the evolution of the depositional environment in the northern Levant Basin in a time interval surrounding the end of the famous event, from Late Messinian to the Pliocene. Through seismic mapping, we have identified a sediment package overlying the intra‐Messinian truncation surface (IMTS). This package is interpreted as an axial fluvial system running along the Levant Margin in stage 3 of the salinity crisis, likely composed of redeposited evaporites and clastic material. The system was fed primarily from a large fan system building out from the basin margin during a time of sea‐level low stand following a major erosional event, and presumably also from similar systems along the Latakia Ridge and Syria. Our interpretation also lends weight to the theory of a subaerial origin for the truncation surface after a catastrophic desiccation event succeeding the deposition of the halite‐dominated Messinian evaporite succession, based on differences in maximum erosional depth throughout the basin. After the deposition of the post‐IMTS package, deep marine settings were restored in the basin, and hemipelagic sediments from the Nile Delta and the Levant Margin have dominated the sediment deposition since.

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Section: Geologic Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence of sea level drawdown at the end of the Messinian salinity crisis and seismic investigation of the Nahr Menashe unit in the northern Levant Basin, offshore Lebanon

2019

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“…KATSMAN For instance, 13 mid-late Pleistocene sequence boundaries confirmed by independent evidence of 13 eustatic sea level drops (Miller et al, 2011) were presented by Lazar et al (2016) in the Levant Basin (eastern Mediterranean continental margin). These were indicated by various kinds of fluid vents (e.g., by pinnacles and pockmarks).…”

Section: Geophysical Research Lettersmentioning

confidence: 97%

Methane Bubble Escape From Gas Horizon in Muddy Aquatic Sediment Under Periodic Wave Loading

Katsman

2019

Geophysical Research Letters

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Ebullition of greenhouse methane (CH4) from the aquatic sediments is often observed at various hydrostatic pressure drops: at low tides, waves, and even at atmospheric pressure drops. It is especially pronounced at the different vent structures, for example, pockmarks, mud volcanoes, and cold seeps. The modeling conducted in the current study suggests that long timescale (glacial to centennial frequency) sea level drops may induce “stable” bubble ascent and control the position of the gas horizon in muddy aquatic sediment. Bubbles escape in the “dynamic” regime from the shallow gas horizon and subsequently to the water column is more feasible under shorter‐period waves of higher amplitude travelling in shallow water. These findings are illustrated by examples of various vent structures (e.g., pockmarks), pronounced in shallow straits and bays, described in the literature.

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“…In the Levant Basin, the Messinian Evaporites are up to 2 km thick, consist of alternating halite and clastics and anhydrite (Bertoni & Cartwright, ; Feng et al, ; Gvirtzman et al, ), and can be divided into seven intervals (Gvirtzman et al, ). At the end of the salinity crisis, a continuous supply of sediments during the Plio‐Quaternary resulted in accumulation of nearly a kilometer of fine‐grained sediments in the Levant Basin and over 1.5 km of sandy and silty sediments on the Levant margin (Gardosh et al, ), which are currently prograding basinward (Hübscher et al, ; Lazar et al, ).…”

Section: Geological Setting Of the Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiphase Structural Evolution and Geodynamic Implications of Messinian Salt‐Related Structures, Levant Basin, Offshore Israel

et al. 2018

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Speculations surround salt deformation in the Mediterranean Basins, both related to the deformation history and the triggers for halokinesis since the onset of the Messinian Salinity Crisis. This work presents a detailed description of the mechanisms driving internal and external deformation of a salt giant from the Levant Basin, offshore Israel. The intrasalt siliciclastic layers generate good internal reflectivity within the Messinian evaporites, allowing a thorough elucidation of the complex evolution and nature of syn-Messinian and post-Messinian structures. We have identified three distinct phases of deformation in the deep basin, based on the orientation, timing, and geometry of their related structures: The first phase is characterized by small-scaled, gravity-driven, contractional faults and folds oriented N-S that have been overprinted by a second syn-Messinian, NW-SE trending, deformation phase affecting the clastic bundles. This latter deformation phase is the cause of truncation of the intrasalt stringers on the intra-Messinian truncation surface. The third deformation phase occurred in the Pleistocene and affected all strata from the Messinian salt to the seabed. This deformational phase produced thrust, strike-slip, and normal faults, but the dominant orientation of the thrust faults and folds is NNW-SSE. Our study demonstrates that the first deformation phase was caused by regional uplift along the Levant margin during the Messinian, the second is a response to basin subsidence toward the Cyprus Arc, also syn-Messinian, and the third phase is likely related to the reorganization of the African-Eurasian plate boundary and activity along the Dead Sea Transform after the Messinian Salinity Crisis.Plain Language Summary A thick body of alternating evaporites and claystones was deposited in the Mediterranean Sea during the infamous Messinian Salinity Crisis, between 5.93 and 5.33 million years ago. This event is in itself poorly understood, as both the cause(s) and the consequence(s) of this crisis is heavily disputed. In this study, we use traditional seismic interpretation as well as geometrical observations and seismic attribute analysis to understand the tectonic movements and how they have generated different fault types in the subsurface of offshore Israel during and after the deposition of the evaporite package. We present three different deformation phases and discuss their possible trigger mechanisms. The good quality of the seismic data used in the study has provided us with excellent examples of thrust, strike-slip, and normal faults in the area. These classical examples offer a clearer picture of the tectonic history of the study area, which has wider application in understanding tectonic histories of many basins worldwide.

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Coincidence or not? Interconnected gas/fluid migration and ocean–atmosphere oscillations in the Levant Basin

Cited by 18 publications

References 61 publications

Evidence of sea level drawdown at the end of the Messinian salinity crisis and seismic investigation of the Nahr Menashe unit in the northern Levant Basin, offshore Lebanon

Evidence of sea level drawdown at the end of the Messinian salinity crisis and seismic investigation of the Nahr Menashe unit in the northern Levant Basin, offshore Lebanon

Methane Bubble Escape From Gas Horizon in Muddy Aquatic Sediment Under Periodic Wave Loading

Multiphase Structural Evolution and Geodynamic Implications of Messinian Salt‐Related Structures, Levant Basin, Offshore Israel

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