Abstract
Abstract. The northeast Atlantic encompasses archetypal examples of volcanic rifted margins. Twenty-five years after the last ODP (Ocean Drilling Program) leg on these volcanic margins, the reasons for excess melting are still disputed with at least three competing hypotheses being discussed. We are proposing a new drilling campaign that will constrain the timing, rates of volcanism, and vertical movements of rifted margins. This will allow us to parameterise geodynamic models that can distinguish between the hypotheses. Furthermore, the drilling-derived data will help us to understand the role of breakup magmatism as a potential driver for the Palaeocene–Eocene thermal maximum (PETM) and its influence on the oceanographic circulation in the earliest phase of the northeast Atlantic Ocean formation. Tackling these questions with a new drilling campaign in the northeast Atlantic region will advance our understanding of the long-term interactions between tectonics, volcanism, oceanography, and climate and the functioning of subpolar northern ecosystems and climate during intervals of extreme warmth.
Highlights
The formation of continental margins is accompanied by a broad spectrum of magmatic activity ranging from little volcanism to the emplacement of a large igneous province (LIP) (Fig. 1)
Breakup volcanism has since been identified as a major short-term climate driver that may have played a role in several mass extinctions (Eldholm and Thomas, 1993; Svensen et al, 2004, 2007)
Since 1996 there has been no dedicated scientific drilling leg to test the predictions that stem from seismic volcanostratigraphy and new seismic and potential field data (e.g. Abdelmalak et al, 2016; Planke et al, 2017), and important hypotheses remain untested that could be assessed with targeted drilling sites. These include the suggestion that northeast Atlantic breakup volcanism was short-lived enough to be a viable driver for the rapid early Paleogene climate change event and, by extension, other environmental crises throughout Earth’s history
Summary
The formation of continental margins is accompanied by a broad spectrum of magmatic activity ranging from little volcanism to the emplacement of a large igneous province (LIP) (Fig. 1). Abdelmalak et al, 2016; Planke et al, 2017), and important hypotheses remain untested that could be assessed with targeted drilling sites These include the suggestion that northeast Atlantic breakup volcanism was short-lived enough to be a viable driver for the rapid early Paleogene climate change event and, by extension, other environmental crises throughout Earth’s history. In May 2018, we convened a MagellanPlus IODP–ICDP (International Ocean Discovery Program–International Continental Scientific Drilling Program) drilling workshop at GEOMAR, Germany, to develop new drilling proposals that would lead to an improved understanding of the nature of breakup volcanism and evolving Atlantic–Arctic gateways This includes, for example, the question as to whether a link exists between hydrothermal venting of greenhouse gases formed by the heating of organic-rich sedimentary rocks by igneous intrusions and global negative carbon isotope excursions, such as those observed during the PETM. Together this information will constitute a step increase in our understanding of the underlying geodynamic processes of continental breakup and initial seafloor spreading, breakup-related magmatism, and the consequences of these processes on global environments
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