Les plates-formes carbonatees messiniennes en Mediterranee occidentale; leur importance pour la reconstitution des variations du niveau marin au Miocene terminal

Correlations and sequence stratigraphic model for Messinian carbonate platforms of the western and central Mediterranean

“…2 cannot be used for correlations as it is diachronous and spans the late Tortonian to early Messinian (Saint Martin and Rouchy 1990). Surface A in the Alboran Sea can be approximately related to the main maximum flooding surface of Malta, Lampedusa, and Salemi, as in each of the cases it separates retrograding sequences from prograding ones during the first Messinian bio-sedimentary cycle.…”

“…During this period, the marginal areas of the Mediterranean also recorded widespread shallowwater carbonate deposits, including coral reef complexes (Esteban 1979(Esteban , 1996Saint Martin 1990;Saint Martin and Rouchy 1990;Rouchy and Saint Martin 1992;Esteban et al 1996). These carbonate complexes developed in very different geodynamic and paleogeographic settings ( Fig.…”

“…1) and (2) to propose a new general sedimentary model for the Messinian carbonate platforms and their adjacent basins that excludes most local controls. This proposal is based on eight carbonate complexes that we have investigated over the past 10 years, in Morocco (Melilla-Nador and its opposite southern margin, Kebdana: Saint Martin and Rouchy 1986;Saint Martin 1990;Saint Martin et al 1991;Chennouf et al 1996;CornØe et al 1996;Saint Martin et al 1997a, 1997bChennouf 1999;Roger et al 2000;Münch et al 2001;CornØe et al 2002;Pestrea-Saint Martin et al 2003;Münch et al 2003a;Garcia et al 2004), in Algeria (Murdjadjo and its opposite southern margin, TessalaBeni Chougrane: Saint Martin 1990;Saint Martin and Rouchy 1990;CornØe et al 1994;Saint Martin et al 1995;Pestrea et al 1999), in SE Spain (Sorbas basin: Saint Martin and Rouchy 1990;Conesa 1997;Conesa and Babinot 1999;Lacour et al 2000;Saint Martin et al 2000, 2001, in Malta (Saint Martin and AndrØ 1992;Saint Martin et al 1997a), and in south Italy (Lampedusa: AndrØ et al 2002, andSalemi in northwestern Sicily: Saint Martin et al 1996;Saint Martin 2001;Pestrea and Saint Martin 2002;Fig. 2).…”

The lithostratigraphy of Miocene series from Tunisia, revisited

“…In Tunisia, the complexity of arrangements and correlations of Miocene series are mainly governed by regional and local major phenomena such as: (i) paroxysm of the Atlassic tectonic phase (Castany, 1951(Castany, , 1952Zargouni, 1985;Ben Ayed, 1986), (ii) collapse of the Sardinia-kabilyes chains (Cohen et al, 1980;Chihi, 1995;Chihi and Philip, 1999), (iii) the closing of the Gibraltar Straits (Saint Martin and Rouchy, 1990), (iv) significant climatic changes and subsequently eustasy (Haq et al, 1987(Haq et al, , 1988Bédir, 1995;Bédir et al, 1996) and (v) isolation and autonomous functioning of the Mediterranean sea (Rouchy and Blanc-Valleron, 2000).…”

New gadiform fishes (Teleostei, Gadiformes) from the Miocene of Algeria

“…Messinian deposits extensively outcrop in the basin, providing a large amount of data about the paleogeographic and paleobiotic characteristics of this Neogene semienclosed enclave of the western Mediterranean region. As in other parts of the Mediterranean, during the Messinian the marginal areas of the Chelif Basin recorded widespread shallow-water carbonate deposits (Anderson, 1936;Perrodon, 1957), characterized by abundant coral reef complexes and other biogenic buildups (red algae, large foraminifers) (Saint Martin, 1990;Saint Martin and Rouchy, 1990;Rouchy and Saint-Martin, 1992). Marls and diatomites accumulate in the central deeper sectors of the basin, representing the peripheral expression of the carbonate platforms (Perrodon, 1957;Rouchy, 1982;Roger et al, 2000), which are often interposed by thick Halimeda-rich slope deposits (e.g., Moisette and Saint Martin, 1992).…”