oa Marine Geology and Geophysics of the Eastern Mediterranean

The Eastern Mediterranean sea appears to be a relict oceanic space between two major continental plates Europe to the north and Africa to the south. Today this marine space includes two relatively deep basins: the oceanic crust floored Ionian sea to the west, believed to be of Mesozoic age and the Levantine basin where some remnants of a triassic oceanic crust have been indicated. The major morphostructure of the area are however the so-called Mediterranean Ridge, the Nile deep sea fan and the Cyprus outer arc.