Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous Tectonostratigraphic Evolution of the Nysleppen Fault Complex, Southwestern Barents Sea

Abstract

Summary The southwestern Barents Sea has been in an extensional tectonic setting since the late Paleozoic times. And two major rifting phases occurred during the Carboniferous and Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous. The former phase created the Nordkapp basin and its general NE—SW striking bounding segments, named Masoy Fault Complex and Nysleppen Fault Complex. The latter phase activated the general NE—SW trending Troms-Finnmark Fault Complex in the Hammerfest basin. Previous work in this region have focused on the fault activity during late Paleozoic and suggested a possible onshore correlation of the TFFC. In this study, a detailed analysis of the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous fault activity is presented. Eight sequences from the Middle–Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous are used to map structural and stratigraphic variations. The faults in the area are subdivided into fault families and the syn-rift deposits are interpreted to be late Pliensbachian–Albian. Clinoforms prograded SW during late Albian to mid-Cenomanian and the Finnmark Platform was flooded during late Early Cretaceous.