The Oligo\u2013Miocene closure of the Tethys Ocean and evolution of the proto-Mediterranean Sea

Adi Torfstein,Josh Steinberg

doi:10.1038/s41598-020-70652-4

Abstract

The tectonically driven Cenozoic closure of the Tethys Ocean invoked a significant reorganization of oceanic circulation and climate patterns on a global scale. This process culminated between the Mid Oligocene and Late Miocene, although its exact timing has remained so far elusive, as does the subsequent evolution of the proto-Mediterranean, primarily due to a lack of reliable, continuous deep-sea records. Here, we present for the first time the framework of the Oligo–Miocene evolution of the deep Levant Basin, based on the chrono-, chemo- and bio- stratigraphy of two deep boreholes from the Eastern Mediterranean. The results reveal a major pulse in terrigeneous mass accumulation rates (MARs) during 24–21 Ma, reflecting the erosional products of the Red Sea rifting and subsequent uplift that drove the collision between the Arabian and Eurasian plates and the effective closure of the Indian Ocean-Mediterranean Seaway. Subsequently, the proto-Mediterranean experienced an increase in primary productivity that peaked during the Mid-Miocene Climate Optimum. A region-wide hiatus across the Serravallian (13.8–11.6 Ma) and a crash in carbonate MARs during the lower Tortonian reflect a dissolution episode that potentially marks the earliest onset of the global middle to late Miocene carbonate crash.

Highlights

The tectonically driven Cenozoic closure of the Tethys Ocean invoked a significant reorganization of oceanic circulation and climate patterns on a global scale
Global climate oscillations during the Miocene reflect major events in the Earth’s history such as the closure of the Indian Ocean-Mediterranean Seaway (IOMS), Mid-Miocene Climate Optimum (MMCO), and the glaciation of Antarctica[1]. While these events are widely reported in marine records globally, their dynamics are not well known in mid-latitudinal settings, such as the proto-Mediterranean (PM) Sea, which formed following the closure of the Tethys Ocean
Throughout the Oligocene and Miocene, significant changes in the paleogeography of the northern Arabian Peninsula were driven by the Eurasia-Arabia collision along the Bitlis–Zagros thrust zone and the subsequent uplift and sub-aerial exposure of an extensive a rea[2,3,4], resulting in the disconnection of the Mediterranean basin from the Mesopotamian basin (Indian Ocean)

Summary

Introduction

The tectonically driven Cenozoic closure of the Tethys Ocean invoked a significant reorganization of oceanic circulation and climate patterns on a global scale.

Results

Conclusion