The Red Sea dried up completely more than 6 million years ago.

The Red Sea experienced a prolonged period of aridity, during which sea levels fell sharply and salt accumulation increased, resulting in the formation of salt layers up to 2 km thick on the seafloor.

New research by scientists at the Saudi Arabian University of Science and Technology shows that the Red Sea - the sea between the Arabian Peninsula and Africa - completely dried up about 6.2 million years ago, turning the area into a giant desert before flooding back with water.

According to a VNA correspondent in Africa, the study, published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, shows that the Red Sea has undergone a prolonged dry period, in which sea levels dropped sharply and salt accumulation increased, leading to the formation of salt layers up to 2 km thick on the seabed.

The Red Sea is no stranger to complex geological phenomena. The region formed some 300 million years ago when the African and Arabian tectonic plates began to separate.

Initially, it existed as an inland lake until about 23 million years ago, when waters from the Mediterranean flooded in, turning the area into a true sea. However, about 6 million years ago, the Red Sea entered a period of serious “crisis”.

Geological data shows that due to changes in sea levels and strong tectonic activity, this area was completely isolated from the ocean, causing water to evaporate rapidly in arid climate conditions, creating giant salt layers on the seabed today.

To clarify this special period, a research team led by scientist Tihana Pensa surveyed and analyzed sediment layers at the bottom of the Red Sea.

By comparing geological data, seismic activity and stratigraphic features, the team found an unusual layer of sediment - evidence that the Red Sea had completely dried up before being re-invaded by seawater.

Scientists explain that, over thousands of years, water from the Indian Ocean flooded into the Red Sea basin, restoring the marine environment and establishing the current hydrological connection between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.

This discovery, according to experts, not only helps clarify the complex geological history of the Red Sea but also provides important evidence of global environmental and climate fluctuations in the distant past - valuable data in predicting current climate change./.

(TTXVN/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/bien-do-tung-kho-can-hoan-toan-cach-day-hon-6-trieu-nam-post1071106.vnp