Mechanism of salt contamination of karstic springs related to the Messinian Deep Stage. The speleological model of Port Miou (France)
Bouches-du-Rhône ; Drainage network ; France ; Geochemistry ; Karst ; Marseille ; Model ; Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur ; Salinity ; Sea level ; Speleology ; Spring ; Submarine canyon ; Underground water
The Port Miou system (Cassis, France) is a long submarine gallery developped in the limestone series of Calanques (Marseille, France). Its speleological exploration suggests a deep karstic system higly polluted by seawater. The strong geochemical
signature of the titanium in the surface sediment supports the model of a sea water aspiration in a deep gallery connected to the Cassidaigne canyon. This speleological model of sea aspiration explains why all the attempts to diminish the salinity