Mediterranean Sea dried up five million years ago
Monday, February 16, 2009 - 15:14
in Earth & Climate
(PhysOrg.com) -- Upward movement of the Earth's crust transformed the Straits of Gibraltar into a dam. Approximately five million years ago, the Mediterranean Sea dried up after it was sealed off from the Atlantic Ocean. According to earth scientist Rob Govers of Utrecht University, Netherlands, a reduction in the weight on the Earth's crust led to the Straits of Gibraltar moving upwards.