34. EVIDENCE OF MESSINIAN NONMARINE DEPOSITION AT SITE 968 (CYPRUS LOWER SLOPE)¹

Marie-Madeleine Blanc-Valleron,² Jean-Marie Rouchy,² Catherine Pierre,³ Denise Badaut-Trauth,² and Monique Schuler⁴

ABSTRACT

The upper Messinian succession recovered at Ocean Drilling Program Hole 968A on the Cyprus lower slope was generated under brackish conditions (Lago Mare), as deduced from sedimentological and paleontological data. Gypsum that displays marine signatures (stable isotope composition of gypsum and monospecific nannoplankton included in gypsum crystals) is interbedded within this series and interpreted as being reworked from earlier Messinian evaporite deposits, such as those present onshore in Cyprus.

¹Robertson, A.H.F., Emeis, K.-C., Richter, C., and Camerlenghi, A. (Eds.), 1998. Proc. ODP, Sci. Results, 160: College Station, TX (Ocean Drilling Program).
²UA723-CNRS "Processus et Archives Sédimentaires" and Laboratoire de Géologie du MNHN, 43 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France. valleron@mnhn.fr
³LODYC-CNRS, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris Cedex 05, France.
⁴Centre de Géochimie de la Surface-CNRS, 1 rue Blessig, 67084 Strasbourg Cedex, France.