An unusual Messinian succession in the Sinis Peninsula, western Sardinia, Italy

Onshore to offshore reconstruction of the Messinian erosion surface in Western Sardinia, Italy: Implications for the Messinian salinity crisis

“…1). Cherchi (1974), Cherchi et al (1978) and Cherchi and Martini (1981), Moissette et al (2002) and André et al (2004) described the Late Neogene succession deposited in a north-south trending graben, a local extension of the main Campidano graben (Casula et al, 2001). The Messinian sedimentary succession has been subdivided into four formations, from bottom to top ( Fig.…”

“…The lowermost part of the unit does not outcrop. -the Capo San Marco Formation -this 10 to 15 metre-thick unit is characterized by sandy marls, bioclastic limestones with clays and microbial-metazoan (bryozoans, molluscs) mounds deposited in a marine offshore to shoreface setting (Moissette et al, 2002;André et al, 2004). -The Basal Marls and the lower part of the Capo San Marco Formation were deposited during a first highstand (Highstand 1, Fig.…”

“…-The Basal Marls and the lower part of the Capo San Marco Formation were deposited during a first highstand (Highstand 1, Fig. 2; André et al, 2004). -the Sinis Limestone Formation -this unit consists of a 4 to 10 metrethick succession of white, thin-bedded, micritic limestones, with rare clays interbeds.…”

“…The Sinis Limestone Formation is either considered to be deposited under hypersaline lagoonal conditions (Cherchi et al, 1978) or under poorly oxygenated marine conditions during a second highstand (Highstand 2, Fig. 2; André et al, 2004). -the Torre del Sevo Limestones Formation -this unit, a few metresthick, was first described as white to greyish limestones, dolomitic limestones, and brecciated limestones, interpreted as evaporitic carbonates (Cherchi et al, 1978).…”

“…The marginal basins often display Late Tortonian to Messinian carbonate platforms: Morocco , Algeria (Rouchy, 1982;Saint Martin, 1996), Spain (Brachert et al, 1998;Riding et al, 1998;Martín et al, 2001), Italy (Suc et al, 1995;Pedley and Maniscalco, 1999;Bosellini et al, 2001;André et al, 2004), Lampedusa (Pedley, 1996a,b;André et al, 2002), Malta (Pedley, 1976;Pedley, 1979;Bosence and Pedley, 1982;Pedley, 1996a,b;Saint Martin et al, 1997), Crete (Kroeger et al, 2006;Pierre et al, 2006), Cyprus (Follows et al, 1996;Krijgsman et al, 2002;Merle et al, 2002). A typical Messinian lithological succession comprises, from bottom to top (e.g.…”