WikiArS/assignments/Zanclean flood of the Mediterranean


This is an assignment created by  ( · ) that gives orientation and references to create an image or file that is necessary for Wikipedia or for some Free Knowledge project.

Assignment: 3D animation of the Zanclean flood of the Mediterranean

  • Type of resource: animació 3D
  • Associate wikiprojects:
    w:es:Ciencias de la Tierra
  • Scope: Geology , Evolució del Mediterrani
  • Allocated to:
    Not yet
  • Status:
    NoN Not done


Assignment language:en

Briefing

There is scientific evidence suggesting that the Mediterranean was once desiccated and that it may have been refilled with Atlantic waters in the largest flooding event we know of. This happened 5.3 million years ago and is registered in the sedimentary record of the sea floor in the Gibraltar Strait. This assignment aims at producing a 3D animation that conveys the spectacular scale of that event. The short animation should show the water flowing through the strait, descending towards the dry Mediterranean. It may incorporate some hominid spectators, since w:en:Sahelanthropus tchadensis was already walking areas in Africa that were relatively nearby.

Specifications

Below i attach some examples. The flood took place from an Atlantic ocean similar to the present one towards a Mediterranean that was lowered by about 1000m. Because of the erosion of the ground produced by the incoming water, the gate became deep enough as to allow a huge amount of flow to come in: about 1000 times the present water flow of the Amazon River. The perspective should be dynamic: I suggest gradually moving the camera away from the Gibraltar Rock towards outer space, so that the size of the massive inflow can be perceived. As you can see in the links below, even commercial films are very poor in terms of displaying the largest flood on Earth.

Sources and references

http://retosterricolas.blogspot.com.es/search/label/Mediterranean

http://retosterricolas.blogspot.com.es/2009/12/inundacion-catastrofica-de-un.html

BBC documentary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGrUmyiDBRA&t=3m23s

w:en:Zanclean flood, w:en:Messinian salinity crisis

Reference images by content

Reference images by style

Format

If you create the illustration on paper:

  • Recommended minimum size: DIN A5 (landscape, horizontal). Photographs of illustrations must be studio photographs. Scans of illustrations must be high-quality, sharp and high-resolution.
  • Digitized PNG files must not be compressed.

If you create the illustration as a bitmap:

  • Approximate minimum size of the file to be published: 1800 x 1270 pixels (more than 2 Mpx). Approximate recommended size: 2500 x 1764 (more than 4 Mpx). More is better.
  • Maximum file size: 100 MB.

If you create a vector graphic (preferable), use the standard SVG format.

Image display guidelines:

  • Approximate image display dimensions on description page: 718 x 500 pixels.
  • Approximate image display dimensions in a Wikipedia article: 500 x 348 pixels.

Keep in mind the approximate display dimensions to ensure that the illustration has an appropriate level of detail for its publication context.

Potential advisers

Experts or knowers of this knowledge area that are available to guide the graphic creator, oversees the process of creation and supervise the image before to publish. ( · ); English, Spanish; Catalan; Barcelona.