Zanclean Megaflood Refilled Mediterranean Sea in Record-Shattering Event 5 Million Years Ago

New research reveals the Mediterranean was rapidly refilled by a massive flood, ending a dry period known as the Messinian Salinity Crisis.

The Zanclean Megaflood, occurring 5.33 million years ago, is now considered the largest known flood in Earth's history with water flow rates of 60–100 million cubic meters per second.
The flood ended the Messinian Salinity Crisis, a period during which the Mediterranean Sea had dried into vast salt flats due to isolation from the Atlantic Ocean.
Geological evidence from southeast Sicily, including streamlined ridges and rocky debris, confirms the flood's immense power and rapid impact on the region's landscape.
Seismic data revealed a W-shaped seabed channel near the Sicily Sill that funneled water into the eastern Mediterranean, with floodwaters reaching speeds of up to 72 mph.
The Mediterranean refilled in as little as two years, reshaping landforms and leaving enduring geological imprints that persist over five million years later.