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Mediterranean Sea Dried Up Five Million Years Ago
ScienceDaily ^ | Thursday, February 12, 2009 | Utrecht University

Posted on 02/12/2009 7:51:15 PM PST by SunkenCiv

Approximately five million years ago, the Mediterranean Sea dried up after it was sealed off from the Atlantic Ocean. According to earth scientist Rob Govers of Utrecht University, a reduction in the weight on the Earth's crust led to the Straits of Gibraltar moving upwards. Govers will publish his conclusions in the February issue of the earth sciences journal Geology.

Much like a mattress springs back into shape after you get off it, the Earth's crust moves upwards when sea levels fall. Known as isostasy, this phenomenon explains how the Mediterranean Sea was sealed off from the Atlantic Ocean five million years ago. This 'dam' would remain in place for 170,000 years. Much like today, the rate of evaporation in the Mediterranean Sea five million years ago greatly exceeded the incoming flow of water. As no more water was introduced via the Straits of Gibraltar, the water evaporated and the Mediterranean Sea dried up completely.

Restoration of the connection with the Atlantic Ocean
After being separated for 170,000 years, the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean were once again connected. Govers believes that the movement of the Earth's crust played a crucial role. The African Plate subducts under the Eurasian Plate beneath Gibraltar and the weight of the subducting edge of the African Plate may have pulled the entire region downwards. Govers submits CT scans of the inner layers of the Earth's crust and measurements of gravitational forces as evidence: both the scans and the measurements indicate the presence of a heavy mass up to 400 kilometres beneath the area.

(Excerpt) Read more at sciencedaily.com ...


TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: atlantic; atlantis; catastrophism; gibraltar; godsgravesglyphs; impossible; mediterranean; mediterraneanflood; messiniandessication; morocco; ofcourseithappened; oldearth; possibleyouidiot; sealevel; slf; slr; spain; zancleanflood
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Profiles in Catastrophism: The Desertification and Deluge of the Mediterranean Basin Profiles in Catastrophism: The Desertification and Deluge of the Mediterranean Basin

1 posted on 02/12/2009 7:51:15 PM PST by SunkenCiv
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To: SunkenCiv

Global Warming started five million years ago in anticipation of the Industrial Revolution, I guess. :)


2 posted on 02/12/2009 7:54:28 PM PST by Darkwolf377 (Pro-Life Capitalist American Atheist and Free-Speech Junkie)
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To: 75thOVI; aimhigh; Alice in Wonderland; AndrewC; aragorn; aristotleman; Avoiding_Sulla; BBell; ...
 
Catastrophism
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3 posted on 02/12/2009 7:56:02 PM PST by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/____________________ Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
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To: StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1ofmanyfree; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; 31R1O; ...

· join list or digest · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post a topic ·

 
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To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.
GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach
 

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4 posted on 02/12/2009 7:56:25 PM PST by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/____________________ Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
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To: SunkenCiv

5 posted on 02/12/2009 7:59:12 PM PST by JoeProBono (A closed mouth gathers no feet)
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To: SunkenCiv

Can we please seal off Washington DC so it will dry up and die.


6 posted on 02/12/2009 8:02:16 PM PST by Licensed-To-Carry (Time to dig out the pitchforks and torches...............)
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To: SunkenCiv

The earliest known incident of “global warming?”


7 posted on 02/12/2009 8:11:36 PM PST by FlingWingFlyer (Have You Punched A Democrat Today? - Do it for the children.)
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To: SunkenCiv

So did Helen Thomas.


8 posted on 02/12/2009 8:13:38 PM PST by Hillarys Gate Cult (The man who said "there's no such thing as a stupid question" has never talked to Helen Thomas.)
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To: SunkenCiv
Thanks for the update on this amazing story from earth's past. This setting, the evaporated Mediterranean basin, was used in a very entertaining sci-fi/fantasy series by Julian May: The Saga of Pliocene Exile. It had "everything" - aliens,time travel, prehistoric beasties, Irish mythology, psychic powers, etc.

9 posted on 02/12/2009 8:13:40 PM PST by FairWitness
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To: SunkenCiv

I saw the heading on the post and wondered when Helen Thomas changed her name from Mediterranean Sea.


10 posted on 02/12/2009 8:53:27 PM PST by optiguy (Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them.----- Ronald Reagan)
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To: FairWitness

Also a fantasy set by Randall Garrett and somebody else - The Gandalara Cycle - pretty entertaining IIRC.


11 posted on 02/12/2009 8:55:24 PM PST by Some Fat Guy in L.A. (Nope. Not gonna do it.)
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To: SunkenCiv

That must have been some dry hole. The Mediterranean Sea averages about 5,000’ deep with a max depth of 16,000’


12 posted on 02/12/2009 9:19:55 PM PST by Mike Darancette (Stimulate this Obama!)
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To: FairWitness

And check out the good artwork on the cover!


13 posted on 02/12/2009 9:37:56 PM PST by Beowulf9
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To: SunkenCiv
I guess the mechanism is news, because the scientific knowledge that this happened goes back decades. I remember seeing an artist's conception of the "Falls of Gibraltar" (when the land bridge blocking the Straits of Gibraltar was breached) from the late 1970s? The picture sort of looked like super-Iguazu.

Messinian Salinity Crisis

14 posted on 02/12/2009 9:59:16 PM PST by cogitator
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To: FairWitness

...and hot babes with weapons.


15 posted on 02/13/2009 3:15:24 AM PST by Tainan (Where's my FOF Indicator?)
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To: FairWitness

The Firvulag survived, and some of them are in Congress now... /g


16 posted on 02/13/2009 4:09:26 AM PST by tarheelswamprat
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To: tarheelswamprat
The Firvulag survived

I always figured that Nancy was a castrating bitch...this just goes to show she's got that second set of teeth that's ideal for the job.

She's probably got visions of grey torcs for all of us too.

17 posted on 02/13/2009 4:37:54 AM PST by Malsua
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To: tarheelswamprat
The Firvulag survived, and some of them are in Congress now... /g

I can name several suspects off the top of my head -- How about Henry Waxman, Barbara Mikulski, Harry Reid, Jerry Nadler? I'm sure the list could be quite long.

18 posted on 02/13/2009 5:54:24 AM PST by FairWitness
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To: SunkenCiv
After being separated for 170,000 years, the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean were once again connected. Govers believes that the movement of the Earth's crust played a crucial role. The African Plate subducts under the Eurasian Plate beneath Gibraltar and the weight of the subducting edge of the African Plate may have pulled the entire region downwards.

I would have paid a bundle to have a front row seat on the Rock of Gibralter to see the Atlantic rushing back to fill the Mediterranean! Assuming, that is, that there was a "moment" when the flow really got going. I don't suppose there is any way to know how long it took.

19 posted on 02/13/2009 6:14:25 AM PST by FairWitness
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To: SunkenCiv

Hmmm, ‘bout the same time Chimps split from humans.

http://news.mongabay.com/2005/1222-penn.html


20 posted on 02/13/2009 12:23:21 PM PST by wolfcreek (There is no 2 party system only arrogant Pols and their handlers)
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