Eurasia spreading basin to Laptev Shelf transition: structural pattern and heat flow

Abstract

New geophysical data have become available from shipborne and satellite measurements allowing a re-evaluation of the largely unknown junction of the Arctic spreading centre and the northeastern Siberian continental margin where the transpolar mid-ocean Gakkel Ridge abuts against the continental slope of the Laptev Sea. Based on multichannel seismic reflection and gravity data, this sediment-covered spreading axis can be traced to the continental rise where it is cut-off by a transcurrent fault. Further continuation of the extensional axis into the continental slope can be attributed to two asymmetric grabens, which terminate against the prominent Khatanga–Lomonosov Fracture. Remnants of hydrothermal fauna and high heat-flow values of approximately 100 mW m−2 documented around these grabens in the up-slope area are typical for an oceanic spreading axis. Thus we consider these grabens to be morphotectonic termination of the global Atlantic–Arctic spreading system with plate motions shifting to the Khatanga–Lomonosov Fracture. The high heat flow and the distribution of earthquake epicentres allow us to assume that the present-day divergent plate tectonic boundary passes from the Gakkel Ridge to the eastern part of Laptev Sea with an offset of initial rifting along the Bel'kov–Svyatoi Nos Rift to the projected prolongation of the buried spreading axis by 140–150 km.