Using the Massive Messinian Erosion Event as a Natural Experiment to Study the Growth of a Shelfbreak Margin

Columbia University, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

During the Messinian desiccation of the Mediterranean around 6 m.y. ago, exposed margins were severely eroded to a new base level ca. 2 km below present day sea level, leading to massive subaerial erosion of existing shelf platforms, transforming many margins into basinward dipping ramps. During the subsequent flooding these were then covered by aggrading to prograding Pliocene sediments. The PIs will participate in a French cruise and examine the Rhone River margin. This is a relatively young margin and is well preserved. The cruise will acquire multi-chammel seismic data, which, along with the existing daa, will be interpreted to reconstruct the architecture of the evolving margin, from canyon cutting and incision to late rdevelopment of the sediment wedges.