The North-East Atlantic Mid-Norwegian rifted margin: Insights from the deep imaging Geoex MCG RDI19 dataset

Abstract

The Norwegian Continental Shelf is one of the world's most used laboratories to study rifting processes and rifted margin architecture. Available datasets are dense, various and of good quality. However, since the full basement is rarely imaged, major questions remain unanswered regarding the structural details and nature of rocks at depth. The Geoex MCG Regional Deep Imaging 2019 (RDI19) dataset presents - for the first time - a series of regional long-offset seismic reflection profiles, of high resolution and deep imaging (16 s-twtt). The dataset offers an unprecedented imaging of the entire margin architecture including deep basement units, Moho and upper mantle - from the proximal margin to the outer margin.This contribution introduces the dataset and proposes an interpretation accompanied by gravity modelling experiments. Focus is set on the identification and seismic facies characteristics of the top basement and Moho core envelopes to discuss the dip and lateral variability of the various basement/crustal units. Basic gravity models are used to develop a discussion on the possible nature of the acoustic basement in the distal margin (crust, magma, mantle, combinations). Based on the observations and interpretation, an updated map of the Møre and Vøring margin structural domains is proposed and discussed.