Synchronous onset of the Messinian evaporite precipitation: First Mediterranean offshore evidence

Ochoa, Diana; Sierro, Francisco J.; Lofi, Johanna; Maillard, Agnès; Flores, José-Abel; Suárez, M.

doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2015.06.059

Cited by 46 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 40 publications

(86 reference statements)

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“…The assignment of the Messinian filaments to this group of bacteria indicates that the gypsum locally formed at greater water depth than previously suggested, which was partly based on the assumption that the filaments reflect benthic phototrophs. The revised scenario agrees with the findings of Ochoa et al (2015), who reported that gypsum deposition was not limited to shallow depths. The large sulfur bacteria inhabit diverse environments, including those in which bacterial sulfate reduction produces hydrogen sulfide in organic-rich sediments (Teske and Nelson, 2006).…”

Section: Implications For Messinian Gypsum Depositionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Are the large filamentous microfossils preserved in Messinian gypsum colorless sulfide-oxidizing bacteria?

Pierre¹,

Natalicchio²,

Ferrando³

et al. 2015

Geology

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The thick gypsum deposits formed in the Mediterranean Basin during the Messinian salinity crisis incorporate dense mazes of filamentous fossils, which were interpreted as algae or cyanobacteria, thus pointing to a shallow-marine subtidal or intertidal environment. The data presented here reveal that these filaments represent remains of colorless, vacuolated sulfide-oxidizing bacteria. This interpretation is supported by the presence of small crystal aggregates of iron sulfide (pyrite) and associated polysulfide within the filamentous fossils. Pyrite and polysulfide are considered to result from early diagenetic transformation of original zero-valent sulfur globules stored within the cells, which is a clade-diagnostic feature of living and degraded sulfur bacteria. In addition to filamentous fossils, the studied gypsum crystals contain remains of euryhaline and stenohaline diatoms and clay-rich aggregates interpreted as alteration products of marine snow floccules. This peculiar fossil assemblage reflects conditions of increased productivity in the water column, triggered by high fluxes of nutrients into the basin during phases of enhanced riverine runoff and freshwater discharge. This study confirms that gypsum evaporites have great potential to preserve the early stages of the taphonomic alteration of bacterial cells, shedding light on the paleoecology of ancient hypersaline environments.

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Section: Implications For Messinian Gypsum Depositionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Are the large filamentous microfossils preserved in Messinian gypsum colorless sulfide-oxidizing bacteria?

Pierre¹,

Natalicchio²,

Ferrando³

et al. 2015

Geology

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“…Martinez del Olmo () proposed the same correlation for the evaporites drilled offshore (Muchamiel, Calpe‐1, Golfo de Valencia‐1 and Castellon‐L1 boreholes), indicating that the distribution of gypsum is limited to the more marginal areas (see Figure d). The 497‐Muchamiel and 334‐Calpe 1 boreholes are located on the shelf (location in Figure b) and confirm the presence of the PLG unit in the Elche sub‐basin (Figure b; Martinez del Olmo, ; Ochoa et al, ), at present‐day depths ranging between 600 and 900 m below the mean sea‐level. The PLG have also been found basinward of an inferred Messinian shelf‐edge (Maillard et al, ; Figure c; their Figures and ; Driussi et al, ).…”

Section: Revisiting the Msc Record Of The Balearic Promontorymentioning

confidence: 53%

“…Messinian units in the Balearic Promontory area; (a) schematic tectonic map of the Western Mediterranean showing the location of the Balearic Promontory; (b) present‐day distribution of the Messinian units in the Balearic Promontory and adjacent areas (from Ochoa et al, ); 334 = Calpe 1 well; 497 = Muchamiel well; MCD = Mallorca Central Depression; BP = Balearic Promontory; CMD = Central Mallorca Depression; PLG = Primary Lower Gypsum unit; note the distribution of inferred PLG deposits in the Elche sub‐basin and compare with Figure a; (c) location of the PLG evaporites of the Palma sub‐basin (from Figure of Maillard et al, ); the units were deposited in a narrow basin delimited by structural highs and bordered by Messinian reefs; the comparison with (b) documents the similarities with the Sorbas Basin in terms of size and overall stratigraphic architecture; (d) the distribution of PLG evaporites in the Balearic Promontory and Valencia Basin according to Martinez Del Olmo (); (e) the Torrevieja Marino Messinian reef (see location in d); contour lines refer to the elevation of reef deposits above the highest onlap of PLG evaporites; seismic lines across the reef (f) show the 360° onlap of PLG evaporites against the reef front; difference in elevation between the reef top and the gypsum suggest an original paleodepth of around 200 m…”

Section: Revisiting the Msc Record Of The Balearic Promontorymentioning

confidence: 99%

The synthetic seismic expression of the Messinian salinity crisis from onshore records: Implications for shallow‐ to deep‐water correlations

et al. 2019

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The onshore–offshore correlation of sedimentary successions is a common problem in basin analysis, but it becomes critical for the full understanding of the Messinian salinity crisis (MSC), a complex array of palaeoenvironmental events which affected the Mediterranean basin at the end of the Miocene. The outcrop records show that the Messinian stratigraphic architectures may be highly complex as the deposits of the different MSC evolutionary stages can be lithologically similar and separated by erosional surfaces and/or morphostructural highs. The correct definition of the nature and stratigraphic position of Messinian deposits in offshore areas through seismic data may be almost impossible, especially where core data are sparse. To bridge the gap between onshore and offshore records, we have built synthetic seismic sections from well‐constrained outcrop successions. Our results provide useful insights and warnings for the interpretation of offshore data, pointing out that MSC units having different age, nature and depositional settings, may show similar seismic facies and geometries. Conversely, the same deposit may result in different seismic facies, either with parallel and high‐amplitude reflections or even transparent or chaotic due to interference patterns of seismic reflections related to dominant frequency. It follows that a correct interpretation of the nature and age of deep‐seated Messinian deposits can only be obtained through the integration of seismic and core data, and considering the onshore record. The application of our approach to the Balearic Promontory results in an alternative interpretation with respect to previous models. We show that this offshore area has good analogues in the onshore of the Betic Cordillera and includes both shallow and intermediate depth sub‐basins that underwent a strong post‐Messinian subsidence.

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“…see Ochoa et al 2015), but with a dramatic decrease in the normal marine biota followed by their disappearance (Manzi et al 2007(Manzi et al , 2015. In fact, while the biological record of the onset of the crisis is synchronous throughout the Mediterranean Basin and at any depth, the onset of the bottom-grown evaporites of stage 1 (selenite gypsum of the Primary Lower Gypsum unit -PLG) is diachronous (Roveri et al 2014a;Manzi et al 2016).…”

Section: An Alternative Scenario: Stratigraphic Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ochoa et al 2015), where outcrop observations and complete subsurface data (seismics and boreholes) are available, it has been documented that the PLG evaporites are absent in deep-water and/or unsilled settings during MSC stage 1 (Manzi et al 2007;Lugli et al 2010;Dela Pierre et al 2011;Ghielmi et al 2013;Rossi et al 2015). Two different models have been proposed so far to explain this fact.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Messinian salinity crisis: open problems and possible implications for Mediterranean petroleum systems

Roveri

Gennari

Lugli

et al. 2016

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A general agreement on what actually happened during the Messinian salinity crisis (MSC) has been reached in the minds of most geologists but, in the deepest settings of the Mediterranean Basin, the picture is still far from being finalized and several different scenarios for the crisis have been proposed, with different significant implications for hydrocarbon exploration. The currently accepted MSC paradigm of the 'shallow-water deep-basin' model, which implies high-amplitude sea-level oscillations (> 1500 m) of the Mediterranean up to its desiccation, is usually considered as fact. As a consequence, it is on this model that the implications of the MSC events on the Mediterranean petroleum systems are commonly based.In fact, an alternative, deep-water, non-desiccated scenario of the MSC is possible: it (i) implies the permanence of a large water body in the Mediterranean throughout the entire Messinian salinity crisis, but with strongly reduced Atlantic connections; and (ii) envisages a genetic link between Messinian erosion of the Mediterranean margins and deep brine development.In this work, we focus on the strong implications of an assessment of the petroleum systems of the Mediterranean and adjoining areas (e.g. the Black Sea Basin) that can be based on such a non-desiccated MSC scenario. In particular, the near-full basin model delivers a more realistic definition of Messinian source-rock generation and distribution, as well as of the magnitude of water-unloading processes and their effects on hydrocarbon accumulation.

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Synchronous onset of the Messinian evaporite precipitation: First Mediterranean offshore evidence

Cited by 46 publications

References 40 publications

Are the large filamentous microfossils preserved in Messinian gypsum colorless sulfide-oxidizing bacteria?

Are the large filamentous microfossils preserved in Messinian gypsum colorless sulfide-oxidizing bacteria?

The synthetic seismic expression of the Messinian salinity crisis from onshore records: Implications for shallow‐ to deep‐water correlations

The Messinian salinity crisis: open problems and possible implications for Mediterranean petroleum systems

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