Messinian Clastic Deposition And Halokinesis Over The Pre-Messinian Geomorphology, Herodotus Basin, Eastern Mediterranean

Abstract

The complex geological history of the Eastern Mediterranean, in combination with the unique event of the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC) favored the creation of an active petroleum system. This study focuses on the deposition of clastic sediments during the Messinian Salinity Crisis, in the South-West Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Cyprus, highlighting the potential prospects of the Messinian low-stand incised valley/submarine canyon play and taking into consideration the salt tectonics of the region. After the interpretation of 2D seismic data, the results show that the Messinian clastic sediments derived from the River Nile during the forced falling regressive system tract (FFRST) deposited strictly west of the West Eratosthenes High in the deep Herodotus Basin and have a thickness of approximately 2 km in South-West EEZ of Cyprus. These clastic accumulations represent the distal sand sheets of the Nile Cone and are important regarding the petroleum plays in the area. Finally, the northern gliding of the Messinian Evaporites from the Nile Cone to the deep Herodotus Basin was controlled by the Pre-Messinian topography and can justify the absence of any bathymetric scar from the west side of the Eratosthenes Continental Block (ECB).