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- Foulger, Gillian R., et al.
(author)
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The Iceland Microcontinent and a continental Greenland-Iceland-Faroe Ridge
- 2020
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In: Earth-Science Reviews. - : Elsevier BV. - 0012-8252 .- 1872-6828. ; 206
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The breakup of Laurasia to form the Northeast Atlantic Realm disintegrated an inhomogeneous collage of cratons sutured by cross-cutting orogens. Volcanic rifted margins formed that are underlain by magma-inflated, extended continental crust. North of the Greenland-Iceland-Faroe Ridge a new rift–the Aegir Ridge–propagated south along the Caledonian suture. South of the Greenland-Iceland-Faroe Ridge the proto-Reykjanes Ridge propagated north through the North Atlantic Craton along an axis displaced ~150 km to the west of the rift to the north. Both propagators stalled where the confluence of the Nagssugtoqidian and Caledonian orogens formed an ~300-km-wide transverse barrier. Thereafter, the ~150 × 300-km block of continental crust between the rift tips–the Iceland Microcontinent–extended in a distributed, unstable manner along multiple axes of extension. These axes repeatedly migrated or jumped laterally with shearing occurring between them in diffuse transfer zones. This style of deformation continues to the present day in Iceland. It is the surface expression of underlying magma-assisted stretching of ductile continental crust that has flowed from the Iceland Microplate and flanking continental areas to form the lower crust of the Greenland-Iceland-Faroe Ridge. Icelandic-type crust which underlies the Greenland-Iceland-Faroe Ridge is thus not anomalously thick oceanic crust as is often assumed. Upper Icelandic-type crust comprises magma flows and dykes. Lower Icelandic-type crust comprises magma-inflated continental mid- and lower crust. Contemporary magma production in Iceland, equivalent to oceanic layers 2–3, corresponds to Icelandic-type upper crust plus intrusions in the lower crust, and has a total thickness of only 10–15 km. This is much less than the total maximum thickness of 42 km for Icelandic-type crust measured seismically in Iceland. The feasibility of the structure we propose is confirmed by numerical modeling that shows extension of the continental crust can continue for many tens of millions of years by lower-crustal ductile flow. A composition of Icelandic-type lower crust that is largely continental can account for multiple seismic observations along with gravity, bathymetric, topographic, petrological and geochemical data that are inconsistent with a gabbroic composition for Icelandic-type lower crust. It also offers a solution to difficulties in numerical models for melt-production by downward-revising the amount of melt needed. Unstable tectonics on the Greenland-Iceland-Faroe Ridge can account for long-term tectonic disequilibrium on the adjacent rifted margins, the southerly migrating rift propagators that build diachronous chevron ridges of thick crust about the Reykjanes Ridge, and the tectonic decoupling of the oceans to the north and south. A model of complex, discontinuous continental breakup influenced by crustal inhomogeneity that distributes continental material in growing oceans fits other regions including the Davis Strait, the South Atlantic and the West Indian Ocean.
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| 3. |
- Peace, Alexander L., et al.
(author)
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A review of Pangaea dispersal and Large Igneous Provinces : In search of a causative mechanism
- 2020
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In: Earth-Science Reviews. - : Elsevier BV. - 0012-8252 .- 1872-6828. ; 206
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The breakup of Pangaea was accompanied by extensive, episodic, magmatic activity. Several Large Igneous Provinces (LIPs) formed, such as the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) and the North Atlantic Igneous Province (NAIP). Here, we review the chronology of Pangaea breakup and related large-scale magmatism. We review the Triassic formation of the Central Atlantic Ocean, the breakup between East and West Gondwana in the Middle Jurassic, the Early Cretaceous opening of the South Atlantic, the Cretaceous separation of India from Antarctica, and finally the formation of the North Atlantic in the Mesozoic-Cenozoic. We demonstrate that throughout the dispersal of Pangaea, major volcanism typically occurs distal from the locus of rift initiation and initial oceanic crust accretion. There is no location where extension propagates away from a newly formed LIP. Instead, LIPs are coincident with major lithosphere-scale shear movements, aborted rifts and splinters of continental crust rifted far out into the oceanic domain. These observations suggest that a fundamental reappraisal of the causes and consequences of breakup-related LIPs is in order.
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| 4. |
- Peace, Alexander L., et al.
(author)
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Evidence for Basement Reactivation during the Opening of the Labrador Sea from the Makkovik Province, Labrador, Canada : Insights from Field Data and Numerical Models
- 2018
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In: Geosciences. - : MDPI. - 2076-3263. ; 8:8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The onshore exposures adjacent to modern, offshore passive continental margins may preserve evidence of deformation from the pre-, syn-, and post-rift phases of continental breakup that allow us to investigate the processes associated with and controlling rifting and breakup. Here, we characterize onshore brittle deformation and pre-rift basement metamorphic mineral fabric from onshore Labrador in Eastern Canada in the Palaeoproterozoic Aillik Domain of the Makkovik Province. Stress inversion (1) was applied to these data and then compared to (2) numerical models of hybrid slip and dilation tendency, (3) independent calculations of the regional geopotential stress field, and (4) analyses of palaeo-stress in proximal regions from previous work. The stress inversion shows well-constrained extensional deformation perpendicular to the passive margin, likely related to pre-breakup rifting in the proto-Labrador Sea. Hybrid slip and dilatation analysis indicates that inherited basement structures were likely oriented in a favorable orientation to be reactivated during rifting. Reconstructed geopotential stresses illuminate changes of the ambient stress field over time and confirm the present paleo-stress estimates. The new results and numerical models provide a consistent picture of the late Mesozoic-Cenozoic lithospheric stress field evolution in the Labrador Sea region. The proto-Labrador Sea region was characterized by a persistent E-W (coast-perpendicular) extensional stress regime, which we interpret as the pre-breakup continental rifting that finally led to continental breakup. Later, the ridge push of the Labrador Sea spreading ridge maintained this general direction of extension. We see indications for anti-clockwise rotation of the direction of extension along some of the passive margins. However, extreme persistent N-S-oriented extension as indicated by studies further north in West Greenland cannot be confirmed.
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| 5. |
- Peace, Alexander L., et al.
(author)
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Halokinetically Overprinted Tectonic Inversion of the Penobscot 3D Volume Offshore Nova Scotia, Canada
- 2024
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In: Pure and Applied Geophysics. - 0033-4553 .- 1420-9136.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Polyphase fault evolution through reactivation is a globally observed phenomenon on passive margins. These structures play a crucial role in petroleum systems, offer vital constraints on rift and passive margin kinematics, and, in certain instances, serve as global markers for far-field stresses. Despite the significance of reactivated faults, understanding their kinematic evolution, existence, extent, and interactions within fault populations is often limited. This underscores the need for comprehensive investigations, including considerations of halokinesis in this process. This study presents a structural interpretation of a relay ramp identified in the Penobscot 3D seismic reflection survey offshore Nova Scotia, Canada. The ramp is characterized by two major SSE-dipping faults accompanied by smaller antithetic and synthetic normal faults with a general ENE-WSW strike. The two major faults exhibit evidence of reverse deformation in their lower sections, transitioning to normal offsets in their upper portions. Smaller faults predominantly affect younger strata without evidence of reactivation. Fault throw analysis indicates coupled movement on the main faults during both reverse and normal deformation intervals. Structural analysis suggests that these structures initially formed as reverse faults due to halokinesis and were subsequently reactivated during oceanward salt migration. The timing of Atlantic margin halokinesis aligns broadly with previously documented large-scale kinematic reorganization periods, suggesting similar kinematic events triggered salt movements in the Penobscot area. The observed kinematic dichotomy at depth is crucial, highlighting the potential oversight of polyphase deformation in areas where seismic data only captures near-surface structures. Recognising salt's role in kinematic reactivation is vital, explaining inversion phenomena and generating economically important trapping structures globally. This study implies that reactivation of structures in passive margins may be more widespread than previously acknowledged, particularly if seismic data only captures upper portions of structures.
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| 6. |
- Schiffer, Christian, et al.
(author)
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Structural inheritance in the North Atlantic
- 2020
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In: Earth-Science Reviews. - : Elsevier BV. - 0012-8252 .- 1872-6828. ; 206
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The North Atlantic, extending from the Charlie Gibbs Fracture Zone to the north Norway-Greenland-Svalbard margins, is regarded as both a classic case of structural inheritance and an exemplar for the Wilson-cycle concept. This paper examines different aspects of structural inheritance in the Circum-North Atlantic region: 1) as a function of rejuvenation from lithospheric to crustal scales, and 2) in terms of sequential rifting and opening of the ocean and its margins, including a series of failed rift systems. We summarise and evaluate the role of fundamental lithospheric structures such as mantle fabric and composition, lower crustal inhomogeneities, orogenic belts, and major strike-slip faults during breakup. We relate these to the development and shaping of the NE Atlantic rifted margins, localisation of magmatism, and microcontinent release. We show that, although inheritance is common on multiple scales, the Wilson Cycle is at best an imperfect model for the Circum-North Atlantic region. Observations from the NE Atlantic suggest depth dependency in inheritance (surface, crust, mantle) with selective rejuvenation depending on time-scales, stress field orientations and thermal regime. Specifically, post-Caledonian reactivation to form the North Atlantic rift systems essentially followed pre-existing orogenic crustal structures, while eventual breakup reflected a change in stress field and exploitation of a deeper-seated, lithospheric-scale shear fabrics. We infer that, although collapse of an orogenic belt and eventual transition to a new ocean does occur, it is by no means inevitable.
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