🌊 Zanclean Flood Deposits - Mar Menor
Evidence of a catastrophic Mediterranean refilling 5.33 million years ago
📌 Fast Facts
- Location: Near Cartagena, southeastern Spain
- Age: Zanclean epoch, approximately 5.33 million years ago
- Refilling duration: Several months to two years
- Peak sea-level rise rate: Exceeding 10 metres per day
The Zanclean Flood Deposits at Mar Menor constitute a geological site in southeastern Spain that preserves sedimentary evidence of the catastrophic Mediterranean refilling. The site contains sand and gravel formations that document one of Earth's most dramatic hydrological events—the reconnection of the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean approximately 5.33 million years ago, following the Messinian salinity crisis. As of 2026, the Mar Menor lagoon and its surrounding geological formations ...