What happened to the Mediterranean Sea 5 to 6 million years ago?
141565
Yes it did exist. The Mediterranean actually dried up around the end of the Miocene, about 5-6 million years ago. This was known as the Messinian Event. \n\nThere are large thick deposits of evaporite minerals like gypsum and halite (salt) that underlie much of the Mediterranean. These deposits were formed when the water in the Mediterranean dried up. Other evidence exists that shows that the Nile River actually cut down to several hundred feet below present day sea level, which would have been impossible if the sea level were not lowered to that depth. At the start of the Pliocene, about 5.4 million years ago, the barrier at the Strait of Gibraltar broke and the Mediterranean was filled again. \n\nI've studied much of this first hand working around the Mediterranean basin. If you want to see some references go to:\nhttp://www.soton.ac.uk/~imw/messin.htm\nhttp://www.messinianonline.it/
636880
No, they have ice cores from it that go back 100,000 years. Its edges were a little less icy up to about 600 years ago.
580237
either 6000 or 4.5 billion years
846863
4.6 billion years old
89193
In the Atlantic Ocean\nOver 11,000 years ago there existed an island nation located in the middle of the Atlantic ocean populated by a noble and powerful race. The people of this land possessed great wealth thanks to the natural resources found throughout their island. The island was a center for trade and commerce. The rulers of this land held sway over the people and land of their own island and well into Europe and Africa.\n\nThis was the island of Atlantis.\n\nFrom Timaeus we know that it was based in the Atlantic Ocean - Opposite the Pillars of Heracles* (Straits of Gibraltar) and that from Atlantis you could reach other islands and then a true continent.\n\nOne of the more likely places would be around the Azores Islands. The Azores are a group of islands belonging to Portugal located about 900 miles (1500 km) west of the Portugese coast. Some people believe the islands are the mountain tops of the sunken continent of Atlantis.\n\nOn the other hand, if you feel that Atlantis was an exaggeration of the historical destruction of Thera and the Minoan empire, then it is found in the Aegean. \n\nThe island of Thera, also known as Santorini, is a volcanic island located due north of Crete in the Aegean Sea. Sometime around 1500 BC is was devasted by a volcanic explosion that may have contributed to the sudden downfall of the Minoan civilization.\n\nBut, if you believe Atlantis was simply a story then it was only located in the long decayed brain of Plato.\n\nFor more exact and expended info check this link \n\nhttp://www.activemind.com/Mysterious/Topics/Atlantis/
283532
Man_with_a_Plan has no proof that there is no proof. His statement that no theories are sound or have proof is just his opinion and purely speculatory. There is no proof.\n\nI, on the other hand, like the "Murder on the Orient Express Theory". I think that there was huge changes in ocean circulation due to the continents coming together WELL BEFORE Pangaea formed. The geologic evidence suggests that the extinction happened in different places around the world at different times, which suggests that no single event is responsible. I believe that cooling events like plume volcanism in the Siberian traps coupled with warming events like methane hydrate release and greenhouse effect along with the continental positioning at the time may have worked together to cause extreme changes in ocean circulation at various parts of the world at different times, attributing to the extinction event.\n\nVariations in temperature due to greenhouse warming and on/off sulphide cooling would have had the greatest immediate impact on planktic (ocean surface) and shallow water organisms. I also think that ocean circulation was also greatly affected not only by the temperature variations but also the circumstantial orientation of the continents. Heat transport to the north would have been innefficient and consequently northern regions would have been subject to extreme cooling, even at relatively low latitudes. In the southern regions there would have been a huge temperature gradient between top and bottom waters. If this was enough to stop deep water formation and ocean turnover, benthic (bottom dwelling) species would have been destroyed by the lack of oxygen and intermediate to surface water species would have suffered from a lack of nutrients. Because most of the Earth's life at the time was in the water, I am quite sure that it was likely some change in ocean circulation that dealt the fatal blows to life. Obviously good carbon isotope data from the period would be needed to verify this hypothesis. \n\nLife on land would have suffered greatly by climate changes induced by changes in ocean circulation, as well as the extreme variations in temperature. Tropical species would have been devastated by cooling events caused by the plume volcanism.\n\nThere is lots of proof for everything; there just is no definite information that can, as of yet, say for sure exactly how it all happened. That's a tough thing to do, but I really dislike people who refute the claims of others without presenting any evidence themselves.
1187143
the atlantic ocean is your best shot. the mediterranean isn't that good.
834832
About  555-563 million years old:\n\nzircon U-Pb SHRIMP(sensitive high resolution ion microprobe) geochronological data :  Pão de Açúcar  gneissic granite-- ages of 559 ±4 Ma (million of years ago) \n\n http://sbgeo.org.br/rgb/vol33_down/3302/1381.pdf.\n\nZIRCON U-Pb SHRIMP DATING OF THE SERRA DOS ÓRGÃOS AND RIO DE JANEIRO GNEISSIC GRANITIC SUITES: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE (560 Ma) BRASILIANO/PAN-AFRICAN COLLAGE*  \nRevista Brasileira de Geociências, Luiz Carlos da Silva et al,\n33(2):p237-244, junho de 2003
4216
About 13.7 billion years ago.
1176345
the earth is about 4.5 billion years old
85861
~4.5 Billion years old.
389783
the mediterranean sea
610011
5,000,000,000 years, more or less
813560
Eons ago there were rivers\n\nTh
542768
no one knows the exact date; however, it was roughly 4.6 billion years ago.
768598
People have been looking for that for 2000 years or more. Nothing has been found.\n\nGeological and archeological evidence shows there WAS a big flood in the middle east, south of the Black Sea, some time between human installation and the beginning of recorded history, but nothing as world destroying as described in the bible.
993258
The Earth was formed around 4.57 billion (4.57×109)[1] years ago