Spatial and Temporal Reconstruction of the Norwegian-Greenland Sea: Insights from the Jan Mayen System

Gwenn Peron-Pinvidic

The Jan Mayen Ridge in the Norwegian-Greenland Sea is a classic example of microcontinent. In this contribution, I propose a 4D model of the evolution of the Jan Mayen microcontinent (JMMC), based on new interpretation of its architecture, detailed aeromagnetic data and regional plate kinematics. The mapping shows that the structure of the microcontinent is more complex than the two-block system described so far in the literature. Four distinct segments are considered. A set of geoseismic sections and a corresponding regional interpretation of the Norwegian-Greenland Sea are proposed to place the microcontinent in a regional tectonic context. A series of rifting scenarios is described, from the first increments of rift-related extensional deformation to oceanic spreading at the Kolbeinsey Ridge. The evolution involves the development of a hyperextended margin offshore NO and Greenland in Jurassic-Cretaceous time, and a further evolution of the JMMC that depends on the temporal and spatial distribution of extension in locations such as the Jan Mayen Basin and the Jan Mayen Trough. Based on restored profiles from the JMMC as well as regional structural and plate kinematic considerations, I favor a scenario where the Jan Mayen Basin initiated in Paleozoic-Mesozoic times and the Jan Mayen Trough mainly developed in Cenozoic times.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90177©3P Arctic, Polar Petroleum Potential Conference & Exhibition, Stavanger, Norway, October 15-18, 2013