Late Tertiary Paleogeographic and Tectonic Evolution of the Mediterranean Area

Robert J. Arnott, Engelbert A. Haan

The present geography of the Mediterranean Sea is the result of late Tertiary tectonic processes and hardly reflects its Mesozoic and early Tertiary evolution. This paper outlines a plate tectonics model for the Mediterranean area from the Oligocene to the Pliocene. Seismic and well data have been integrated into the regional structural framework to produce a set of paleogeographic maps, which includes the Oligocene, early and middle Miocene, late Miocene, and Pliocene. These maps highlight the changes in sedimentation patterns in response to the tectonic development of the Mediterranean area. Special attention will be given to the Messinian desiccation event.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91032©1988 Mediterranean Basins Conference and Exhibition, Nice, France, 25-28 September 1988.