How long is mediterranean

A m-deep submarine ridge situated between Sicily and the African coast divides the Mediterranean Sea into eastern and western portions. The western portion of the Mediterranean Sea is further subdivided into three major submarine basins. The eastern portion of the Mediterranean Sea is subdivided into two principal basins: the Ionian Basin and the Levantine Basin.

There are many major subdivisions of the Mediterranean Sea. The Mediterranean Sea experiences a typical Mediterranean climate with hot and dry summers and mild and rainy winters.

The Mediterranean Sea hosts numerous beautiful islands. Covering a total area of about 25, km 2 , the island of Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The Mediterranean Sea basin was formed during the Late Triassic and the early Jurassic periods due to the convergence of the African and Eurasian plates.

Scientists first began digging into the history of the Mediterranean as early as the s , when they found salt deposits on the shores hinting at a particularly briny ancient sea. Features that resembled the cracked surface of a mudflat when left to bake in the sun were found embedded in the upper layers of salt—a hint that waters may not have always been sloshing above, Ryan says.

Over the years, many researchers have dipped their toes into the puzzling waters, and as more evidence accrues, the more perplexing the situation becomes. Throughout the basin, fossils of critters can be found that point to a Mediterranean nearly full of water just before it reconnected to the Atlantic, says Wout Krijgsman , a geologist at Utrecht University in the Netherlands.

Perhaps before the flood swept in, the region was not a desert but a shrunken sea. An estimated cubic miles of sediment would have been strewn across the Mediterranean basin, collecting in pockets where the water flow was low.

But the sediments, laid long before people first set foot in the region , are now buried beneath the seafloor. To spot the ancient clues, researchers use a method akin to a geologic ultrasound, sending seismic vibrations from a boat to the bottom of the Mediterranean and measuring the echoes.

A pocket of rocks and sand, possibly deposited by the flood, was discovered just to the east of the boundary that divides the western and eastern basins. Yet answers may soon be on the horizon. All rights reserved. Share Tweet Email. Read This Next Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London. Animals Wild Cities Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London Love them or hate them, there's no denying their growing numbers have added an explosion of color to the city's streets.

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But will they invade your privacy? Go Further. Animals Wild Cities This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city. Animals This frog mysteriously re-evolved a full set of teeth. The report estimates that more than one million tonnes of plastic have accumulated in the Mediterranean Sea.

Plastic pollution can cause long-term damage to terrestrial and marine ecosystems and biodiversity. Ships use the Suez Canal as a route between the Mediterranean and Red seas.

The Mediterranean has almost no tides. For centuries, the Mediterranean Sea has been the focal point of western civilization. It is an area rich in history and has played critical roles in the development of shipping and trade, as a resource for feeding growing populations, and as an aid to the spread and mingling of races and cultures. In brief, the importance of the Mediterranean Sea is conditional and its nature favors continental control; it is a sea of passage and a sea of land powers.

Due to the high temperatures in the Mediterranean region, evaporation of the Mediterranean Sea occurs more rapidly than in other bodies of water, therefore more salt is left behind. The warm, dense, salty water in the Mediterranean is replaced by less salty and dense Atlantic water in the Strait of Gibraltar.

Today the Mediterranean is one of the busiest seas in the world. Trade and shipping traffic is prominent and there is also a significant amount of fishing activity in its waters. Europe lies to the north of the Mediterranean, and three large Southern European peninsulas, the Iberian Peninsula, Italian Peninsula, and the Balkan Peninsula, extend into and comprise much of the Mediterranean-climate zone.

Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. Press ESC to cancel. Social studies. Ben Davis September 21, How far does the Mediterranean Sea stretch?