Late Miocene contourite deposits related to the paleo-Mediterranean Outflow Water (MOW) were identified in the Betic and Rifian corridors prior to the restriction of the Mediterranean-Atlantic gateway during the latest Miocene. In this study, we identified for the first time their downstream continuation in the Gulf of Cádiz through seismic stratigraphic analysis and the interpretation of contourite diagnostic features. The late Miocene contourite depositional system (CDS) consists of three stages (initial-, growth-, and maintenance-drift) which recorded the late Tortonian to early Messinian evolution from weak to vigorous bottom current flow in the Gulf of Cádiz prior to its cessation in the middle to late Messinian, represented by the buried-drift stage. Development of the CDS in the Gulf of Cádiz is coeval to a period when the continental margins were affected by regional deformation. Tectonism and diapirism, on top of sedimentary and climatic factors, exerted control on drift distribution and dimensions. However, dataset limitations hindered detailed analysis on the effect of deformation on CDS evolution. Overall, the long-term evolution of the late Miocene CDS across the Gulf of Cádiz towards the West Iberian margin suggests strengthening of paleo-MOW during the late Miocene which has significant impact on the North Atlantic ocean circulation and the late Miocene global cooling trend.

在最近中新世限制地中海-大西洋门户之前，在 Betic 和 Rifian 走廊中发现了与古地中海流出水 (MOW) 相关的晚中新世等高岩矿床。在这项研究中，我们通过地震地层分析和等高岩诊断特征的解释，首次确定了它们在加的斯湾的下游延续。晚中新世等高岩沉积系统 (CDS) 由三个阶段（初始漂移、生长漂移和维持漂移）组成，记录了加的斯湾从弱到强的底流在托托尼阶晚期到墨西尼阶早期演化停止之前墨西拿中晚期，以埋藏漂移为代表阶段。加的斯湾 CDS 的开发与大陆边缘受区域变形影响的时期同时发生。构造作用和底辟作用，在沉积和气候因素之上，对漂移分布和尺寸施加了控制。然而，数据集的限制阻碍了对变形对 CDS 演化影响的详细分析。总体而言，晚中新世 CDS 跨越加的斯湾向西伊比利亚边缘的长期演变表明，晚中新世期间古 MOW 加强，这对北大西洋环流和晚中新世全球降温趋势有重大影响。