Seismic signature of Messinian event in the Mediterranean basins

The MSC, even if it is well documented in the whole Mediterranean Sea by several different seismic markers, is a still open question. The interpretation of the seismic signatures let to distinguish alternated phases of exposure and flooding of the different basins which often result to be hardly correlated to one another. In the Adriatic basin and in the Sicily Channel the Messinian layer, where it is not replaced by an erosional surface, is present as a thin evaporate layer mainly constituted by Gessoso Solfifera formation. The Messinian trilogy has been observed only in the deep Balearic Basin, while in the Ionian and Levantine Basins it shows a mainly salt seismic facies. The presented seismic data aim to contribute to the recognition of the different seismic facies which characterize the different units; their comparison could improve the comprehension of the processes that affected the Messinian events in the Mediterranean region, specially because of the critical lacking of boreholes.