A two‐step process for the reflooding of the M editerranean after the M essinian S alinity C risis

The M essinian S alinity C risis is well known to have resulted from a significant drop of the M editerranean sea level. Considering both onshore and offshore observations, the subsequent reflooding is generally thought to have been very sudden. We present here offshore seismic evidence from the G ulf of L ions and re‐visited onshore data from I taly and T urkey that lead to a new concept of a two‐step reflooding of the M editerranean B asin after the M essinian S alinity C risis. The refilling was first moderate and relatively slow accompanied by transgressive ravinement, and later on very rapid, preserving the subaerial M essinian E rosional S urface. The amplitude of these two successive rises of sea level has been estimated at ≤500 m for the first rise and 600–900 m for the second rise. Evaporites from the central M editerranean basins appear to have been deposited principally at the beginning of the first step of reflooding. After the second step, which preceeded the Z anclean G lobal S tratotype S ection and P oint, successive connections with the P aratethyan D acic B asin, then the A driatic foredeep, and finally the E uxinian B asin occurred, as a consequence of the continued global rise in sea level. A complex morphology with sills and sub‐basins led to diachronous events such as the so‐called ‘ L ago M are’.This study helps to distinguish events that were synchronous over the entire M editerranean realm, such as the two‐step reflooding, from those that were more local and diachronous. In addition, the shoreline that marks the transition between these two steps of reflooding in the P rovence B asin provides a remarkable palaeogeographical marker for subsidence studies.