What will happen to the Mediterranean Sea in the future?

What will happen to the Mediterranean Sea in the future?

If the Strait of Gibraltar closes again (which is likely to happen in the near future in geological time), the Mediterranean would mostly evaporate in about a thousand years, after which continued northward movement of Africa may obliterate the Mediterranean altogether.

Is the Mediterranean Sea shrinking or expanding?

It beautifully illustrates the tectonic plates and seafloor topography beyond the coastlines of continents. The Mediterranean Sea is in fact getting smaller as the African and European plates move towards each other.

When was the Mediterranean Sea Cut off from the Atlantic?

Geological evidence indicates that around 5.9 million years ago, the Mediterranean was cut off from the Atlantic and was partly or completely desiccated over a period of some 600,000 years during the Messinian salinity crisis before being refilled by the Zanclean flood about 5.3 million years ago.

How long will it take for the Mediterranean Sea to close?

The Mediterranean will continue to close as Africa and Europe collide, although it will be another 40 million years or so at current motion rates before that happens (the African plate is currently closing with the Eurasian plate at approximately 2.15 cm/year)

Is the Mediterranean Sea a remnant of a larger ocean?

Image courtesy of Dr. Christopher Scotese. “The Mediterranean is the remnant of a much larger ocean that has closed over the last 100 million years, and it will continue to close,” he said. “More and more of the plate is going to get crumpled and get pushed higher and higher up, like the Himalayas.”

Why is the Mediterranean Sea drying up and drying up?

The inflow of rivers into the Mediterranean (including the contribution of the Black Sea) is insufficient to sustain its loss due to evaporation. Without the inflow from the Atlantic Ocean to rejuvenate its waters the Mediterranean Sea dried up!