Geophysical evidence for lithospheric scale asymmetry and inherited mantle in the SE Brazilian-Angola and Newfoundland-Iberia rifted margins

Abstract

Rift systems in the central South Atlantic and the southern Northern Atlantic margins exhibit anomalous wide ocean-continent transitions, extreme thinning of the continental crust, and scarce volcanism indicative of low magmatic budgets during rifting and breakup, characteristic of magma-poor rifted margins. While numerous studies investigated the crustal architecture at these magma-poor rifted margins, the nature of the underlying mantle lithosphere remains virtually unknown. In this work, we have interpreted seismic tomography and electromagnetic data with the aim of comparing large-scale aspects and mantle geophysical anomalies at these conjugate rifted margins. The data exhibits low electrical conductivity and high P-wave velocity in the mantle underlying the Iberia and the Angolan margins, while the Newfoundland and SE-Brazil margins show a lack of high-velocity mantle and exhibit higher electrical conductivity. The P-wave tomography values at middle lithospheric depths are suggestive of an oceanward lateral continuity of rigid lithospheric mantle at both the Iberian and Angola margins that may correspond to an anomalous mantle. Rifting-induced delamination at the onset of Atlantic opening is supported by previous geochemical studies. In addition, low electrical conductivity areas may indicate dry mantle conditions, which can be caused by inherited subcontinental mantle, and/or pre-to syn-rift magmatic extraction. A lack of high-velocity and high electrical conductivity in the mantle under the Newfoundland and Santos-Campos margins suggest a relatively weaker and newly formed mantle, in agreement with the removing and/or initial absence of a strong middle-to-lower inherited lithosphere beneath those margins. Therefore, the geophysical observations support different types of the nature of the middle mantle lithospheres flooring the two conjugate, magma-poor rifted margins.