Buried subglacial landforms in the SW Barents Sea imaged using high-resolution P-Cable seismic data

Abstract

A large grounded ice sheet covered the epicontinental Barents Sea multiple times during the Late Pleistocene and left its erosional imprint (Solheim et al. 1990; Knies et al. 2009). Erosion involved the removal of large amounts of sediments from the Tertiary and Cretaceous sedimentary successions of the Barents Sea. The Upper Regional Unconformity (URU) represents the erosional base for continental-shelf glaciations (Vorren et al. 1988). Here, we present palaeo-landforms from this erosional base imaged using high-resolution P-Cable seismic data acquired along the border between the Ringvassoya Fault Complex and the Loppa High in the SW Barents Sea (Fig. 1). P-Cable seismic data have a frequency bandwidth of up to 300 Hz and spatial resolution of 6×6 m, which is much better than conventional 3D seismic data. Hence, interpretation of P-Cable data allows visualization of buried geomorphic landscapes in exceptional detail. In addition, amplitude information is readily available and complements grid-based interpretations. Fig. 1. Buried subglacial landforms in …