Filenews 6 February 2024 - by Fanis Makrides
Scientists from Israel's geological institute have discovered an underwater gorge near Cyprus.
The gorge, which is near the underwater mountain "Eratosthenes", is identified in time to a geological phenomenon that occurred 5.5 million years ago, known as the "salinity crisis of Messinia".
It is 10 km wide and 500 m deep and was buried by a layer of salt. It was created when the level of the Mediterranean Sea decreased at the same time as the salinity level of the water rose, causing instability on the underwater slopes and collapse on the sea floor.
As we read, the "Messinian salinity crisis" is the period during which the Mediterranean Sea evaporated during the Upper Miocene.
