Global look at salt giants

Hübscher, Christian; Cartwright, Joe; Cypionka, Heribert; DELANGE, G; Robertson, Alastair H. F.; Suc, Jean‐Pierre; Urai, János L.

doi:10.1029/2007eo160002

Cited by 31 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…All these basins are characterized by a relatively thin (commonly <500 m-thick) Messinian succession including sulphate and also halite, as suggested by the presence of small diapirs imaged by seismic both in the Latakia and Tartus basins (see Maillard et al, 2010 for further information). Conversely the southern region, corresponding to the Levant basin, shows a very thick Messinian evaporite unit (between 1 and 2 km) mainly consisting of halite (H€ ubscher et al, 2007;Cartwright & Jackson, 2008;Maillard et al, 2010) with minor clastic intercalations that is still relatively undeformed (Bertoni & Cartwright, 2006, 2007Lofi et al, 2011;Gvirtzman et al, 2013).…”

Section: Geological and Geodynamic Setting Of Cyprusmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Messinian salinity crisis in Cyprus: a further step towards a new stratigraphic framework for Eastern Mediterranean

et al. 2015

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A revised stratigraphic framework for the Messinian succession of Cyprus is proposed demonstrating that the three-stage model for the Messinian salinity crisis recently established for the Western Mediterranean also applies to the Eastern Mediterranean, at least for its marginal basins. This analysis is based on a multidisciplinary study of the Messinian evaporites and associated deposits exposed in the Polemi, Pissouri, Maroni/Psematismenos and Mesaoria basins. Here, we document for the first time that the base of the unit usually referred to the 'Lower Evaporites' in Cyprus does not actually correspond to the onset of the Messinian salinity crisis. The basal surface of this unit rather corresponds to a regional-scale unconformity, locally associated with an angular discordance, and is related to the erosion and resedimentation of primary evaporites deposited during the first stage of the Messinian salinity crisis. This evidence suggests that the 'Lower Evaporites' of the southern basins of Cyprus actually belong to the second stage of the Messinian salinity crisis; they can be thus ascribed to the Resedimented Lower Gypsum unit that was deposited between 5.6 and 5.5 Ma and is possibly coeval to the halite deposited in the northern Mesaoria basin. Primary, in situ evaporites of the first stage of the Messinian salinity crisis were not preserved in Cyprus basins. Conversely, shallow-water primary evaporites deposited during the third stage of the Messinian salinity crisis are well preserved; these deposits can be regarded as the equivalent of the Upper Gypsum of Sicily. Our study documents that the Messinian stratigraphy shows many similarities between the Western and Eastern Mediterranean marginal basins, implying a common and likely coeval development of the Messinian salinity crisis. This could be reflected also in intermediate and deep-water basins; we infer that the Lower Evaporites seismic unit in the deep Eastern Mediterranean basins could well be mainly composed of clastic evaporites and that its base could correspond to the Messinian erosional surface

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Section: Geological and Geodynamic Setting Of Cyprusmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Messinian salinity crisis in Cyprus: a further step towards a new stratigraphic framework for Eastern Mediterranean

et al. 2015

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“…Several stratigraphic models have been proposed for the Messinian evaporites by several authors (Garfunkel & Almagor, 1987; Cohen, 1993; Gradmann et al , 2005; Bertoni & Cartwright, 2006; Netzeband et al , 2006b; Bertoni & Cartwright, 2007). The MSC stratigraphy has been unified for the central southern Levantine Basin by Hübscher et al (2007), who defined six units labelled ME‐I to ME‐VI. ME‐III and ME‐V are well stratified; the other units are seismically transparent (Fig.…”

Section: Geological Setting Of the Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Deformed Messinian markers in the Cyprus Arc: tectonic and/or Messinian Salinity Crisis indicators?

et al. 2010

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This paper focuses on Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC) evaporites in the Cyprus Arc (eastern Mediterranean) using high‐resolution reflection seismic and multi‐beam data. The results shed new light on the Miocene to Present tectonic evolution of this area and contribute to our general knowledge of the MSC in a deep basin setting. The evaporites and overlying formations show a complex deformation pattern due to a combination of thick‐skinned plate‐tectonic convergence and thin‐skinned disharmonic deformation related to the mobile evaporite‐bearing unit. Several MSC markers are identified and precisely mapped: the base of the MSC unit is a ‘decollement’ level, whereas the top is clearly identified as a toplap surface. Intra‐MSC markers and two MSC subunits are identified and mapped over the entire study area. The geometry of MSC markers shows that the lower MSC subunit was deposited in a relatively quiet tectonic setting. The nature of the anisopachous upper unit indicates a syn‐depositional phase of large‐scale plate‐tectonic activity. A thin‐skinned phase of compressional deformation during the Late Miocene affected the entire MSC unit, overlain by undeformed Pliocene–Quaternary layers. A second thin‐skinned phase, well expressed in the bathymetry, occurred from the Pliocene to Recent, resulting in extensional gravity‐gliding within the evaporites and the Pliocene–Quaternary sequence. We show that the MSC had a dramatic impact on the regional structure. For instance, the erosive nature of the top of the MSC unit is linked to the desiccation episode rather than to the cessation of tectonic activity. This particularly strong and short‐lived erosion may have been enhanced by the regional effects of the MSC, owing to differential uplift/subsidence caused by the drawdown. The evaporites are essential markers for constraining the tectonic framework, provided that active deformation can be distinguished from passive gliding associated with extensional/contractional deformation.

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“…More also, compression associated with halokinetic forces is likewise capable of compromising the shear integrity of sedimentary units and the accompanying joints may also enhance permeability, and consequently the localized fluid flow (sensu Bonini, 2012). However, it is general consensus that the deformation of most of the postevaporitic overburden in the Levant Basin began in the Late Pliocene and syndepositional deformations are visible from the Quaternary (Bertoni and Cartwright, 2005;Hübscher et al, 2007;Cartwright and Jackson, 2008;Gvirtzman et al, 2013). Buttressing this point of the intransmissible nature of the normal faults in the present study area is lack of fluids based anomalies above and around the normal faults in the overburden.…”

Section: Western Group (Dissolution Pipes)mentioning

confidence: 95%

Intra- to post-Messinian deep-water gas piping in the Levant Basin, SE Mediterranean

Eruteya

Waldmann

Schalev

et al. 2015

Marine and Petroleum Geology

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Global look at salt giants

Cited by 31 publications

References 5 publications

The Messinian salinity crisis in Cyprus: a further step towards a new stratigraphic framework for Eastern Mediterranean

The Messinian salinity crisis in Cyprus: a further step towards a new stratigraphic framework for Eastern Mediterranean

Deformed Messinian markers in the Cyprus Arc: tectonic and/or Messinian Salinity Crisis indicators?

Intra- to post-Messinian deep-water gas piping in the Levant Basin, SE Mediterranean

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