Seismic stratigraphy of the East-Siberian and Chukchi seas as a key to the Amerasia Basin stratigraphy end evolution

Abstract

<p>Based on new seismic survey, offshore drilling and geological structure of the adjacent onshore a new model of geological evolution of sedimentary basins of the East-Siberian and Chukchi seas since the Mesozoic has been constructed. The main stages of their tectonic history are highlighted: 1) forming of the foreland basin in Jurassic – Early Creatceous time; 2) synrift extension in Aptian-Albian time; 3) start of postrift subsidence in Later Cretaceous; 4) uplift and deformations at the turn of Cretaceous and Paleogene, start of forming of the thick (up to 4-6 km) clinoform complex; 5) episode of synrift extension in Middle-Later Eocene, forming of the system of multiple low-amplitude normal faults; 6) inversion deformations in Oligocene-Miocene; 7) relatively calm tectonic conditions in Neogene-Quaternary time. Boundaries of the interpreted seismic complexes corresponding to these stages has been extended to the entire Amerasia basin with regards to the ages of magnetic anomalies in the Gakkel Ridge and sea-bottom sampling on the Mendeleev Rise. Volcanic areas of the De Long Islands and the North Wrangel High has been traced on the seismic profiles toward Mendeleev Rise and Podvodnikov Basin and dated as ±125 Ma. According to the seismic interpretation, the age of the Podvodnikov and Toll basins is not older than Aptian. The reported study was funded by RFBR and NSFB, project number 18-05-70011, 18-05-00495 and 18-35-00133.</p>