Estimating drawdown magnitudes of the Mediterranean Sea in the Levant basin during the Lago Mare stage of the Messinian Salinity Crisis

The Messinian Salinity Crisis (5.97–5.33 Ma) is one of the most dramatic sea level change events in the global geological record. During this event, marine connection between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea was restricted, and episodically blocked. While division of the Messinian Salinity Crisis to three major stages is well established and accepted, the scale of sea level change at each stage is still debated. The magnitudes of the Mediterranean fluctuations throughout the Messinian Salinity Crisis have implications for contemporary connectivity between the eastern and western Mediterranean basins. During the third stage of the Messinian Salinity Crisis, commonly known as the Lago Mare, Mediterranean Sea level fluctuated repeatedly. Lago Mare drawdowns in the eastern Mediterranean were estimated earlier to vary between