Late Cretaceous–Paleocene tectonic development of the NW Vøring Basin

Abstract

The Late Cretaceous–Paleocene rifting in the NW Vøring Basin is characterized by four main fault complexes and pronounced upper-crustal structural segmentation. The fault complexes are linked by accommodation zones, which separate fault systems of different polarities and thick from thinner coeval sedimentary successions. Structural and stratigraphic analyses suggest that the early rift phase (∼81 to 65 Ma) was characterized by large-scale normal faulting, along-margin segmentation and varying structural styles; whereas the late rift phase (∼65 to 55 Ma) was associated with continued extension, regional uplift, intrusive igneous activity and subsequent erosion. The rifting ended with breakup at ∼55 Ma accompanied by massive, but gradually waning extrusive igneous activity over the next 3 Myr. The mode of rifting appears to have changed from brittle to more ductile extensional deformation from the early to late rift phase. The changing rift rheology is probably related to the arrival of the Iceland mantle plume and initiation of associated igneous activity. Hence, the NW Vøring Basin provides an example of complex interaction of structural and magmatic relationships during rifting and breakup.