Articles | Volume 21, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-841-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-841-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
22 Apr 2025
Research article |
| 22 Apr 2025
| 22 Apr 2025
Middle Miocene climate evolution in the northern Mediterranean region (Digne–Valensole basin, SE France)
Armelle Ballian
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Institute of Geosciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Maud J. M. Meijers
Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Department of Earth Sciences, NAWI Graz Geocenter, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
Isabelle Cojan
MinesParis, Centre de Géosciences, PSL University, Fontainebleau, France
Damien Huyghe
MinesParis, Centre de Géosciences, PSL University, Fontainebleau, France
Miguel Bernecker
Institute of Geosciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Katharina Methner
Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Institute for Earth System Science and Remote Sensing, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
Mattia Tagliavento
Institute of Geosciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
Jens Fiebig
Institute of Geosciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Andreas Mulch
Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Institute of Geosciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Short summary
During the Middle Miocene, the Earth transitioned from a warm to a colder period, significantly impacting ecosystems and climate. We present a 23–13 Ma climate record of soil carbonates from a northern Mediterranean basin. We propose that rapid temperature shifts in our data result from changes in atmospheric circulation patterns. Our climate record aligns well with contemporaneous terrestrial European and global marine records, enhancing our understanding of Miocene climate dynamics.
During the Middle Miocene, the Earth transitioned from a warm to a colder period, significantly...
