The Newfoundland Basin: ocean-continent boundary and Mesozoic seafloor spreading history

Abstract

The ocean-continent boundary in the Newfoundland Basin is defined as the seaward limit of a continental margin magnetic smooth zone. East of the Grand Banks this boundary is marked by a prominent NNE-trending magnetic anomaly that is correlated with the J-Anomaly (115 m.y.). South of Flemish Cap the smooth zone boundary strikes approximately 060° and is approximately 15 m.y. younger. Magnetic anomaly trends suggest two directions of motion during separation of Iberia and North America. The first phase of motion, commencing at J-Anomaly time with a spreading center strike of 015°, produced a rifted margin along the Grand Banks south of the Newfoundland Seamounts. No spreading occurred north of the seamounts during this phase, implying a counter-clockwise rotation of Iberia and no Grand Banks-Galicia Bank separation. The second phase began at about 102 m.y. with a shift of the pole of rotation to a location near Paris, producing a ridge orientation of approximately 060°. This spreading center extended north and east into the northern Newfoundland Basin and Bay of Biscay, producing a rifted margin south of Flemish Cap and opening of Biscay. This ridge geometry produced a component of extension across the Newfoundland Fracture Zone and the southeastward migration of the resultant “leaky” transform fault between 102 m.y. and the next pole shift produced the volcanic edifice of the Southeast Newfoundland Ridge. Fracture zone trends during this phase also exerted strong control on volcanism within the Newfoundland Seamount province; this activity ceased at about 97 m.y. The date at which the second phase ended is not well defined by presently available data. A RRR triple-junction existed in the northeastern Newfoundland Basin-western Biscay region for a short time prior to anomaly 33/34 (80 m.y.) which marks the inception of a continuous Mid-Atlantic Ridge spreading center between the Newfoundland and Charlie Gibbs Fracture Zones.