--> Abstract: A Geological Overview of the Faroe Islands and the Late Paleogene Evolution of the NW Flank of the Faroe-Shetland Basin, by D. Ellis, B. Bell, D. Jolley, R. Poulsen, and R. Fredsted; #90923 (1999)

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ELLIS, DAVID, Statoil; BRIAN BELL, University of Glasgow; DAVID JOLLEY, University of Sheffield; RAGNAR POULSEN, University of Aarhus; and RAGNAR FREDSTED, Statoil

Abstract: A Geological Overview of the Faroe Islands and the Late Paleogene Evolution of the NW Flank of the Faroe-Shetland Basin

The Faroe Islands consist of a thick sequence of lavas, together with minor pyroclastic and epiclastic volcanic deposits, which were erupted during the Paleocene in response to rifting, and which ultimately led to sea floor spreading and the formation of new oceanic crust between the Faroe Islands and East Greenland. At the beginning of the Paleocene (Danian, ca. 63-65 Ma), a mantle plume impacted at the base of the stretched continental lithosphere of the North Atlantic and, from time to time, was breached at a number of thin spots by upwelling magma, leading to surface volcanism and shallow level intrusion.

Prior to the volcanic activity, the thermal bouyancy of the plume head, centered under Greenland, caused significant uplift in the order of several hundreds of metres. As the plume waxed and waned over the next 8-10 m.y., the uplift and subsidence history of the NW flank of the Faroe-Shetland Basin oscillated between a fluvial system transporting sediment into the basin and a prograding sequence of volcanic material. Thus, during periods of intense volcanic activity, the fluvial system was overwhelmed, with the net result that sediments would not be represented in the stratigraphic column. Only prior and during significant hiatuses in the volcanism were sequences of clastic sediments deposited.

Returning the Faroes Block to its pre-ocean spreading position, the close association is evident of the Faroes volcanic rocks with the flood lava sequence of East Greenland. It is the East Greenland area, which will have been the dominant location of the feeder fissures to the volcanic rocks during the Paleocene magmatism.

The volcanic activity culminated with the eruption of the Balder Tuff(s), a thick and extremely widespread sequence of basaltic ashes erupted from the rift at the time of plate separation and initiation of sea floor spreading.Thereafter, magmatism was restricted to the rift system and the Faroe-Shetland Basin underwent significant subsidence during the Eocene.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90923@1999 International Conference and Exhibition, Birmingham, England