The crustal structure of the Enderby Basin, East Antarctica

Abstract

The passive margin and ocean crust of the Enderby Basin, East Antarctica preserves a record of the breakup of East Gondwana. Using a suite of public domain geophysical data, we have examined and described the crustal morphology of the basin. Based on our geophysical observations, we divide the Enderby Basin into three distinct morphologic domains. The Eastern Domain demonstrates the most volcanic morphology of the basin, with abundant seaward dipping reflector packages and anomalously thick oceanic crust. These features suggest an early influence by the Kerguelen Hotspot on continental breakup within the domain. The Central Domain is characterized by two regions of oceanic crust of varying morphology segregated by a high amplitude magnetic anomaly. Geophysical observations suggest that the basement directly inboard of this magnetic anomaly is composed of thin, rugged, and poorly structured, proto-oceanic crust, similar in morphology to oceanic crust formed at ultraslow/slow mid-ocean ridged. Outboard of this anomaly, oceanic crust appears to be well-structured and of normal thickness. We offer three, non-exclusive, explanations for the observed change in ocean crustal structure: (1) melt production was initially low at the time of continental breakup, and the progressive decompression of the mantle led to a gradual increase in melt production and ocean crust thickness, (2) melt production was initially low to due lower extension rates and that melt production increased following a change in spreading rate, (3) a change in spreading ridge geometry led to more effective seafloor spreading rate and concurrent increase in melt production. The Western Domain of the Enderby Basin is characterized by abundant fracture zones and anomalously thin oceanic crust. We believe these features arose as a geometric consequence of the originally oblique orientation of continental rifting relative to the extension direction within the domain. Together these observations suggest that the breakup of East Gondwana was highly variable, with notable along-strike differences in crustal deformation and seafloor spreading processes.