Strontium isotopic ratios as fluid tracers in Messinian evaporites of the Tyrrhenian Sea (western Mediterranean Sea)

Abstract

The complex depositional and hydrologic conditions in the Mediterranean during the Messinian salinity crisis preclude the use of Sr isotopic values from the evaporites for stratigraphic correlation and dating. They are, however, very useful in the interpretation of the depositional history of the basin. General calculations assuming a closed system suggest that the 87Sr/86Sr ratio of Messinian seawater (~0.7090) could be reduced to that of the evaporites (~0.7087) by mixing with fresh water (e.g. Nile River) in times of 104 to 105 yr. -from Authors