Messinian

The Messinian is a term used to describe the last part of the Miocene epoch. This happened between about 7.25 million and 5.33 million years ago. It came after the Tortonian and was followed by the Zanclean, the first age of the Pliocene.

This time period is important because it matches with certain stages in the evolution of land animals in Europe, known as the Turolian, and in Central Europe, called the Pontian. It also lines up with later stages in South America, called the Huayquerian and Montehermosan, and an earlier stage in North America known as the Hemphillian.

One famous event of the Messinian was the Messinian salinity crisis. Around 6 million years ago, the Mediterranean Sea dried up and refilled many times, changing the environment and affecting many forms of life.

Definition

The Messinian is a name for a time in Earth's history. It was named by a scientist from Switzerland named Karl Mayer-Eymar in 1867. The name comes from the Italian city of Messina on Sicily. There, special rock layers were found.

The Messinian starts when a tiny sea creature called a planktonic foram first appears. It ends when tiny sea creatures called nanoplankton change.

Palaeoclimatology

In South Asia, the early part of the Messinian period saw big changes in the climate. About 6 million years ago, the area became much drier. This change turned forests and woodlands into open grasslands.

In Namibia, the Messinian period brought a shift from a wetter climate to a drier one.