On the Deep Origin of the Messinian Salt in the Mediterranean

By

Vasyl I. Sozansky¹

(1) National Academy of Science of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine

 Revision of the geological data on salt-bearing formations of various basins of the world showed that accumulation of salt occurred synchronously with intense tectonic movements and in the basins of salt accumulation simultaneously with erupting lavas. The presence of effusives in salt indicates that accumulation of salt did not occur in basins semi-isolated from the sea but in tectonically active depressions in which faulting was manifested.

The study of geology of salt-bearing basins of the world testifies the wide distribution of effusives mainly of basic composition among salt rocks of different age. Basalts, diabases, ophiolites, melaphyres and other volcanic rocks occur in salt as beds and dykes in addition to breccias as component parts of the cap rocks on the salt domes. Volcanogenous rocks are found among halogenic formations so commonly that they, together with anhydrite, gypsum and limestone, may be considered as component part of these formations.

The rate of salt accumulation is very high and is comparable only with the rate of formation of volcanic rocks. Halite was precipitated in the troughs, whereas volcanogenous-sedimentary rocks were accumulated on the uplifts. All available data on the geology of salt-bearing basins allow to ground ideas on the endogenous nature of halogenic formations precipitated from juvenile hot brines which entered the upper zones of the earth’s crust along deep faults.

Taking into account the paragenetic relation of salt accumulation and volcanic eruptions I suppose that the geological section of the Messinian salt of the Mediterranean must also contain somewhere volcanogenous rocks.