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Late Miocene sedimentary architecture of the Ebro Continental Margin (Western Mediterranean): implications to the Messinian Salinity Crisis

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Abstract

The Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC) resulted from a significant multi-phase drop and subsequent reflooding of the Mediterranean Sea from 5.96 to 5.33 Ma. Well-developed drainage networks, characterized by step-like profiles and abrasion platforms, are associated to this event. The Ebro Continental Margin (Western Mediterranean) presents an additional complexity since the capture of the drainage of the adjacent subaerial Ebro Basin took place sometime prior to the Messinian stage. Using 3D seismic reflection data, this work provides new insights into the origin of the step-like profile of the Messinian erosional surface (MES) and timing of the capture of the subaerial Ebro Basin. The results obtained indicate a sedimentary-active continental slope and delta progradation during Middle-Late Miocene, in a normal regressive context associated to a pre-Messinian proto-Ebro River. The mature development attained by the Messinian Ebro River network during the MSC corroborates that the capture of the Ebro Basin occurred prior to the MSC. The configuration of the clinoforms below the MES suggests that deltaic sediments of the Messinian Paleo-Ebro River deposited during the Tortonian and initial Messinian sea-level drawdown. The MES formed at the top of the Tortonian Highstand, where a fluvial network was deeply carved, and in the topset region of the Messinian Falling Stage Systems Tract, where minor erosion occurred. Fluvial deposits are outstandingly preserved on the main valleys of the MES. Therefore, the step-like profile of the MES was not created during Zanclean inundation, but during the latest stages of the main Messinian sea-level fall and lowstand.

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Abbreviations

MSC:

Messinian Salinity Crisis

MES:

Messinian erosional surface

CCR:

Catalan Coastal ranges

PGS:

Petroleum Geo-Services

TWT:

Two-way travel time

MMU:

Middle Miocene Unit

LMU:

Late Miocene Unit

TMMU:

Top of the Middle Miocene Unit

TSU:

Top of syn-rift sedimentation unconformity

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank BG Group for supplying the seismic and well data and granting permission to publish this paper. This work has been funded by “Ministerio de Innovación y Ciencia” (MICINN) through project EDINSED3D (CTM2007-64880/MAR). We would like to express our gratitude to Seismic Microtechnologies for a Kingdom Suite Educational License Grant and to dGB for providing access to Opendtect software. ALC acknowledges the “Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas” (CSIC) for “JAE-Predoc” Grant jointly funded by European Social Fund. ALC acknowledges X. García Sabín for his help in the analysis of the structural setting and S. Martínez-Loriente for her help improving the quality of the figures. We thank the reviewers Dr. Frey-Martinez and Dr. Claudia Bertoni and the editor Prof. Wolf-Christian Dullo for helpful suggestions and constructive comments. This work was carried out within the Grup de Recerca de la Generalitat de Catalunya B-CSI (2009SGR146).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Geociències Marines, Institut de Ciències del Mar (CSIC), Pg. Marítim de la Barceloneta, 37-49, 08003, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

    Alejandra L. Cameselle, Roger Urgeles & Ben De Mol

  2. Instituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale (OGS), Borgo Grotta Gigante 42C, 34010, Sgonico, Trieste, Italy

    Angelo Camerlenghi

  3. BG Group, Thames Valley Park, Reading, Berkshire, RG6 1PT, UK

    Jason C. Canning

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  1. Alejandra L. Cameselle
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  2. Roger Urgeles
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Correspondence to Alejandra L. Cameselle.

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Cameselle, A.L., Urgeles, R., De Mol, B. et al. Late Miocene sedimentary architecture of the Ebro Continental Margin (Western Mediterranean): implications to the Messinian Salinity Crisis. Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch) 103, 423–440 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-013-0966-5

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