The Dire Straits of Paratethys: Dating, matching and modeling connectivity between the Miocene seas of Eurasia

Abstract

Prehistoric Eurasia contained the largest mega-lake on Earth, formed after the isolation of a fragmented region of dying seas known as Paratethys. In this realm, tectonics, sea-level fluctuations, and climate change led to ecological crises: brine seas, extinctions, great drying events and mega-floods. How these cataclysmic events were connected remained a mystery. This study shows that central to these catastrophes are the sea-straits. We document how small changes in climate or in sea-level can change the behavior of the straits and then lead to environmental change and even extinction events. Also, we postulate that a large number of previously unexplained anomalies, stretching for thousands of km are marks of a large mega-flood that occurred when the Eurasian mega-lake spilled large amounts of water into the Mediterranean Sea and we clarify the mechanism that triggered a second mega-flood that would temporarily transform the Mediterranean sea into a brackish lake (Lago Mare). We conclude that sea-straits are one of the most sensitive parts of our planet’s pluming, likely to disrupt the balance between seas and ocean and trigger environmental crises in the context of sea-level and climate change