Paleogeographic Maps of the Central and North Atlantic Oceans

Jean-Claude Sibuet¹, Stephane Rouzo², and Shiri Srivastava^3
1Institute of Geophysics, National Central University, Chung-Li, Taiwan.
²SRC, Plouzane, France.
³Geological Survey of Canada, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, NS, Canada.

The kinematics of the Central and North Atlantic between the North America (NA), the Africa (AF), the Meseta (MES) and the Iberia (IB) plates have been established from Late Triassic to Late Cretaceous. The relative motions of NA, AF and MES are constrained using the Labails et al. (2010) parameters of rotations. We have established new IB/NA parameters of rotations for the Late Triassic-Middle Cretaceous period and introduced the relative motions of the Flemish Cap (FC) and the Galicia Bank (GB) plates in between. Seven palaeogeographic maps, as listed below for various geological periods, with structural elements and magnetic lineations are presented:
1) Late Triassic - Pre-rift configuration (Norian/Rhaetian limit, about 203 Ma),
2) Early Jurassic - end of rifting (after CAMP and salt deposition) (ECMA, Sinemurian/Pliensbachian limit, 190 Ma); Paleogeography of Early Jurassic (Sinemurian-Toarcian),
3) Middle Jurassic (BSMA, Middle Bajocian, 170 Ma); Paleogeography of Middle Jurassic (Bajocian-Bathonian),
4) Late Jurassic (M22, Tithonian, 150 Ma); Paleogeography of Late Jurassic (Oxfordian-Portlandian),
5) Early Cretaceous (M11, Valanginian, 136 Ma); Paleogeography of Early Cretaceous (Berriasian-Barremian),
6) Middle Cretaceous (M0, Late Barremian/Early Aptian, 125 Ma); Paleogeography of Middle Cretaceous (Aptian-Albian),
7) Late Cretaceous (C34, Santonian, 83.5 Ma); Paleogeography of Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian-Danian).
In addition, we will present the maps of salt distributions at the Sinemurian/Pliensbachian limit (190 Ma) (after salt deposition) and in middle Bajocian (170 Ma). Paleo-oceanographic informations are mainly from Gradstein et al. (1990), while the salt structure and distribution is a compilation of numerous studies.

References:
Labails, C., J.-L. Olivet, D. Aslanian, and W. R. Roest, 2010. An alternative early opening scenario for the Central Atlantic Ocean, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 297, 355-368.
Gradstein, F.M., Jansa, L.F., Srivastava, S.P., Williamson, M.A., Bonham-Carter, G., and Stam, B., 1990. Aspects of North Atlantic paleo-oceanography. In Keen, M.J. and Williams, G.L. (Eds.), The Geology of North America (Vol. 2): Geology of the Continental Margin of Eastern Canada: Boulder (Geol. Soc. Am.), 351-389.

 

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90130©2011 3P Arctic, The Polar Petroleum Potential Conference & Exhibition, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, 30 August-2 September, 2011.

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