Active geological processes in the Mediterranean Sea

This chapter starts with a brief summary of the geological processes that resulted in the formation of the Mediterranean Sea. The main content of the chapter focuses on the description of the different processes that control recent sedimentation at the seafloor in coastal areas and in the deep sea, on how submarine volcanoes are formed and evolve and how fluid escape at the seafloor form cold seeps and related deposits. Finally, the implications of all these processes for geohazards and ecosystems are discussed.