Continent‐ocean transition on the Vøring Plateau, NE Atlantic, derived from densely sampled ocean bottom seismometer data

Abstract

A 180 km long seismic wide‐angle profile was acquired across the Vøring Plateau, NE Atlantic, using a tuned air gun array and three‐component ocean bottom seismometers deployed with ∼5 km spacing. The seismic P wave data have been modeled by ray tracing/inversion, and the model has been constrained by S wave and gravity modeling. The data and modeling have allowed us to depict the crustal structure and nature of the continent‐ocean transition (COT) in a classical volcanic margin case. The P wave velocity near the top of the main crustal layer is estimated to ∼6.0 km/s landward of the ∼25 km wide COT. The seaward increase to ∼6.5 km/s in the COT is conformable with heavily intruded continental crust within this zone. Farther seaward, the velocity increase to ∼6.9 km/s in the same layer suggests the presence of oceanic crust. The abundant magmatism landward of, and within, the COT is primarily observed as extrusives forming wedges of seaward dipping reflectors and mafic lower crustal intrusions/underplating. The maximum thickness of the oceanic crust is measured to ∼23.5 km at the seaward termination of the COT.