Early Seafloor Spreading Research Articles

An integrated stratigraphic re-evaluation of key Central Atlantic DSDP sites

Re-sampling and new analysis of DSDP core from key Central Atlantic sites, drilled over 30 years ago, has allowed an updated stratigraphic framework to be developed. This study refines the timing and nature of key unconformities that have previously been documented to occur elsewhere in the oceanic domain of the Central Atlantic during the drilling of many DSDP legs. Biostratigraphic dating using calcareous nannofossils and palynology has been performed on 168 samples. This higher biostratigraphic resolution improves regional correlation and has allowed identification of major hiati previously unrecognised within the oceanic domain stratigraphy.This work builds on the pioneering work of the DSDP cruises, and utilises the valuable data collected for new age dating, supplemented with new organic geochemistry analysis and sedimentological characterisation to improve documentation of the Mesozoic strata. Results are extrapolated along the continental margin of northwest Africa and the conjugate in South America, using regional two-dimensional seismic sections, providing a correlation between the oceanic domain stratigraphy and shelfal depositional systems penetrated by hydrocarbon exploration wells.At DSDP Site 367, a middle Berriasian unconformity is recognised for the first time in Core 33, where middle Berriasian white pelagic limestones (Blake-Bahama Formation) sit unconformably on Early Tithonian red argillaceous limestones (Cat Gap Formation). Faunal dating indicates a ca. 5 Myr hiatus at the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary. Marl interbeds within the pelagic limestones increase in occurrence through the Barremian, reflecting increased terrigenous input, with associated total organic content (TOC) averaging 5%.A second major lithological break is identified at DSDP Site 367, interpreted as a base Albian unconformity, between the Blake-Bahama and overlying Hatteras Formations. Sediments above are intra late Albian variegated claystones with abundant terrestrial detritus and distal turbidites. Seismic data that intersects the well location show onlapping reflections of early-middle Albian strata landward of DSDP Site 367, indicating paleo-topography prior to Albian deposition. These sediments are contemporaneous with a major progradational phase on the shelf and a sedimentary wedge observed at the base of the carbonate escarpment. Early Albian sediments sit above the interpreted base Albian unconformity at DSDP Site 534 A on the conjugate US Atlantic margin, suggesting the super-regional nature of this event. The refined dating provides age calibration of a basin-wide unconformity, previously known from seismo-stratigraphic studies as Reflector β.In addition to the revised stratigraphic framework, evidence is presented for the occurrence of seaward dipping reflectors (SDRs) northwest of the Guinea Plateau. SDRs have not been reported along this section of the African margin, demonstrating volcanic addition during early seafloor spreading and extending the occurrence of volcanics associated with the African Blake Spur magnetic anomaly further south beyond the Cap Vert fracture zone previously mapped. At DSDP Site 368 we also note that the late Albian to late Cenomanian strata (Hatteras Formation) is composed of a 164 m thick organic-rich interval, containing up to 37% TOC, with facies and organic geochemical heterogeneity. This transgressive sequence is associated with a flooding of the shelf.This revised stratigraphic framework provides a solid foundation for future Central Atlantic studies intending to use these sites as calibration of the oceanic domain stratigraphy.

Jurassic-Paleogene spreading history of the northern Indian Ocean as a constraint on the evolution of the north Australia continental margin

The spreading history of the northern Indian Ocean is re-examined with the aim of interpreting the late Mesozoic-Paleogene evolution of the northern Australian continental margin in eastern Indonesia and Timor-Leste. The earliest seafloor spreading (‘Argo phase’) developed between approximately 155-131Ma (Kimmeridgian, Late Jurassic to Valanginian, Early Cretaceous). A clockwise pole of rotation relative to Australia (‘Argo pole’) is interpreted at 7°09’S, 133°07’E, a present-day location near the Tanimbar islands in eastern Indonesia. A second ‘Gascoyne’ phase of spreading, between 131-100Ma (late Early Cretaceous), had an interpreted clockwise rotation pole at 3°40’N, 125°00’E, a present-day location between the islands of Mindanao (southern Philippines) and Sulawesi (eastern Indonesia). A third ‘Wharton’ phase of spreading, commencing at the beginning of the Late Cretaceous (~100Ma) had a more distant pole (clockwise pole at 5°S, 171°E: Jacob et al., 2014), although more local rotations are interpreted for the Greater Sula Spur continental terrane, about a pole estimated at 9°24’S, 134°40’E, close to the earlier Argo pole.The motions of two continental terranes are inferred from the spreading history. The Argoland Terrane, which is identified in this study as eastern Sundaland (Borneo and Java), would not have entirely detached from Australia before the mid Cretaceous due to the relatively proximal locations of the Argo and Gascoyne rotation poles. In this scenario Argoland could not have collided with Eurasia in the Cretaceous, as suggested by several previous studies. The Greater Sula Spur Terrane (several continental fragments in present-day eastern Indonesia), is repositioned in the initial reconstructions immediately north of Timor, and did not move northward to its late Paleogene (pre-Neogene collision) location until the Wharton phase of rifting that commenced in the Late Cretaceous. This northward motion of the Greater Sula Spur was accommodated by the development of a narrow oceanic basin (the Banda Embayment).The reconstructions suggest that the Argoland and Greater Sula Spur continental terranes formed a continuous crustal connection between SE Asia and northern Australia throughout the late Mesozoic and early Paleogene, and that the Indian Ocean developed entirely within the body of the disrupting Gondwanaland supercontinent, rather than linking eastwards into the Pacific Ocean.

The structure and tectonics of the Guyana Basin

Abstract The Guyana Basin formed during the Jurassic opening of the North Atlantic. The basin margins vary in tectonic origin and include the passive extensional volcanic margin of the Demerara Plateau in Suriname, an oblique extensional margin inboard at the Guyana–Suriname border, a transform margin parallel to the shelf in NW Guyana, and an ocean–ocean margin to the NE, which morphed from transform to oblique extension. Plate reconstructions suggest rifting and early seafloor spreading began with NNW/SSE extension ( c. 190–160 Ma) but relative plate motion later changed to NW/SE. The fraction of magmatic basin floor decreases westwards and the transition from continental to oceanic crust narrows from 200 km in Suriname to less than 50 km in Guyana. The geometry and position of the onshore Takutu Graben suggest it formed a failed arm of a Jurassic triple junction that likely captured the Berbice river during post-rift subsidence and funneled sediment into the Guyana Basin. Berriasian to Aptian shortening caused crustal-scale folds and thrusts in the NE margin of the basin along with minor inversions of basin margin and basin-segmenting faults. Stratigraphically trapped Liza trend hydrocarbon discoveries are located outboard of inverted basement faults, suggesting a link between transform margin structure and their formation.

How have thick evaporites affected early seafloor spreading magnetic anomalies in the Central Red Sea?

SUMMARYThe axial region of the Central Red Sea has been shown to be floored by oceanic crust, but this leaves the low amplitudes of off-axis magnetic anomalies to be explained. Furthermore, if seafloor spreading occurred in the late Miocene, it is unclear how that occurred as widespread evaporites were being deposited then and may have covered the spreading centre. In this study, we derive crustal magnetization for a constant-thickness source layer within the uppermost basement by inverting aeromagnetic anomalies using basement depths derived from seismic reflection and gravity data. Peak-to-trough variations in magnetization away from the axis are found to be slightly less than half of those of normal oceanic crust, but not greatly diminished, and hence the magnetic anomalies are mostly reduced by the greater depth of basement, which is depressed by isostatic loading by the evaporites (kilometres in thickness in places). There is no relationship between seafloor spreading anomalies and the modern distribution of evaporites mapped out using multibeam sonar data; magnetizations are still significant even where the basement lies several kilometres under the evaporites. This suggests that magnetizations have not been more greatly affected by alteration under the evaporites than typically exposed oceanic crust. A prominent magnetization peak commonly occurs at 60–80 km from the axis on both tectonic plates, coinciding with a basement low suggested previously to mark the transition to continental crust closer to the coasts. We suggest an initial burst of volcanism occurred at Chron 5 (at ∼10 Ma) to produce this feature. Furthermore, an abrupt change is found at ∼5 Ma from low-frequency anomalies off-axis to high-frequency anomalies towards the present axis. This potentially represents the stage at which buried spreading centres became exposed. In this interpretation, intrusions such as sills at the buried spreading centre led to broad magnetic anomalies, whereas the later exposure of the spreading centre led to a more typical development of crustal magnetization by rapid cooling of extrusives.

Deformation Analysis in the Barents Sea in Relation to Paleogene Transpression Along the Greenland‐Eurasia Plate Boundary

AbstractLate Cretaceous‐Cenozoic contractional structures are widespread in the Barents Sea. While the exact dating of the deformation is unclear, it can only be inferred that the contraction is younger than the early Cretaceous. One likely contractional mechanism is related to Greenland Plate kinematics at Paleogene times. We use a thin sheet finite element modeling approach to compute deformation within the Barents Sea in response to the Greenland‐Eurasia relative motions during the Paleogene. The analytical solution for the 3‐D folding of sediments above basement faults is used to assess possibilities for folding. Two existing Greenland Plate kinematic models, differing slightly in the timing, magnitude, and direction of motion, are tested. Results show that the Greenland Plate's general northward motion promotes growing anticlines in the entire Barents Sea shelf. Our numerical models suggest that the fan‐shaped pattern of cylindrical anticlines in the Barents Sea can be associated with the Eurekan deformation concurrent to the initial rifting and early seafloor spreading in the northeast Atlantic. The main contraction phase in the SW Barents Sea coincides with the timing of continental breakup, whereas the peak of deformation predicted for the NW Barents Sea occurred at later times. Svalbard has experienced a prolonged period of compressional deformation. We conclude that Paleogene Greenland Plate kinematics are a likely candidate to explain contractional structures in the Barents Sea.

Extension modes and breakup processes of the southeast China-Northwest Palawan conjugate rifted margins

Abstract Our understanding of continent-ocean transition structures and magmatism in the absence of excessive magmatic additions has been guided by the observations and models developed at the magma-poor Iberia-Newfoundland conjugate margins. Recently these models have been challenged in the South China Sea in light of new IODP Expeditions 367-368-368X. We have used an integrated analysis of high quality seismic reflection and gravity anomaly data, calibrated against recent deep sea drilling results, to investigate margin structure and tectono-magmatic interplay during continental breakup and early seafloor spreading between the SE China-NW Palawan conjugate margins. The Eocene-Oligocene South China Sea rifting initiates in a heterogeneous and likely thermally un-equilibrated lithosphere formed by the Mesozoic Yenshanian orogeny. Gravity and joint inversion methods confirm lateral variation of basement densities across the conjugate margins. Lithospheric and basement heterogeneities induced a rifting style characterized by a series of highly thinned rift basins associated with extensional faulting soling out at various crustal levels. Final rifting in late Eocene triggered decompression melting forming mid-ocean ridge type magmatism, which emplaced within thinned continental crust as deep intrusions and shallow extrusive rocks. This initial magmatic activity was concomitant with continued deformation of continental crust by extensional faulting. Integrated analysis of seismic reflection profiles and gravity anomaly data combined with deep-sea boreholes accurately locate the continent-ocean boundary. We show that the initial igneous crust, continentward of oceanic magnetic anomaly C10n, is asymmetric in width and in morphology for the conjugate margins. The wider and faulted newly accreted domain on the SE China side indicates that magmatic accretion is associated with tectonic faulting during the formation of initial oceanic lithosphere. We suggest that deformation was not symmetrically distributed between the conjugate margins during the initiation of seafloor spreading but evolved asymmetrically until the stabilisation of the spreading ocean ridge around C10n. The analysis of the South China Sea breakup reveals a transient interplay between faulting, magmatic budget and extension rates during the formation of the continent-ocean transition and initial emplacement of igneous crust.

Hotspot origin for asymmetrical conjugate volcanic margins of the austral South Atlantic Ocean as imaged on deeply penetrating seismic reflection lines

We have interpreted 27,550 km of deep-penetrating, 2D-seismic reflection profiles across the South Atlantic conjugate margins of Uruguay/Southern Brazil and Namibia. These reflection profiles reveal in unprecedented detail the lateral and cross-sectional, asymmetrical distribution of voluminous, postrift volcanic material erupted during the Barremian-Aptian (129–125 Ma) period of early seafloor spreading in the southernmost South Atlantic. Using this seismic grid, we mapped the 10–200 km wide, continental margin-parallel limits of seaward-dipping reflector (SDR) complexes — that are coincident with interpretations from previous workers using seismic refraction data from the South American and West African conjugate margins. Subaerially emplaced and tabular SDRs have rotated downward 20° in the direction of the mid-Atlantic spreading ridge and are up to 22 km thick near the limit of continental crust. The SDR package is wedge shaped and thins abruptly basinward toward the limit of oceanic crust where it transitions to normal, 6–8 km thick oceanic crust. We have developed a model for the conjugate rifted margins that combine diverging tectonic plates and northwesterly plate motion relative to a fixed mantle position of the mantle plume. Our model explains an approximately 30% higher volume of SDRs/igneous crust on the trailing Namibian margin than on the leading Brazilian margin during the syn- and postrift phases. Our model for volcanic margin asymmetry in the South Atlantic does not require a simple shear mechanism to produce the asymmetrical volcanic material distribution observed from our data and from previously published seismic refraction studies. Determining the basinward extent of the extended continental basement is crucial for understanding basin evolution and for hydrocarbon exploration. Although these conjugate margins have evolved asymmetrically, their proximity during the early postrift stage suggests a near-equivalent, early basin evolution and similar hydrocarbon potential. Understanding the tectonic and magnetic processes that produce these observed asymmetries is critical for understanding volcanic passive margin evolution.

The role of mantle melts in the transition from rifting to seafloor spreading offshore eastern North America

The Eastern North American Margin (ENAM) formed in the early Jurassic (∼195 Ma) with the breakup of supercontinent Pangea. This rifting event was accompanied by volcanism along the continental shelf of the eastern United States, giving rise to the East Coast Magnetic Anomaly (ECMA). Numerical models show that magmatic diking can assist rifting by reducing the effective stress required to rupture the lithosphere. Therefore, magma-rich rifts can develop a rapid transition from continental breakup to seafloor spreading. Alternatively, the onset of seafloor spreading may be accompanied by a long period of persistent thermal weakening and erosion of the lithosphere. In this paper we present analyses of active-source wide-angle seismic data collected during the 2014 ENAM Community Seismic Experiment in an area that extends farther offshore than previous seismic surveys along the eastern U.S. Seaward of the ECMA lies a zone of thin oceanic crust with high compressional seismic velocity (up to 7.5 km/s in the lower crust), whereas thicker normal oceanic crust lies ∼200 km farther offshore along another prominent magnetic anomaly, the Blake Spur Magnetic Anomaly (BSMA). We reconcile our seismic images with a petrologic model to evaluate the mantle melting conditions during the late stages of continental breakup and early seafloor spreading in the Central Atlantic. We propose that the zone of thin crust between the ECMA and BSMA with high seismic velocity is best explained by the presence of a ∼15–20 km thick lithospheric lid at the time of early seafloor spreading, which prevented melting in the shallow mantle. Our analysis suggests that the volcanism that produced the nearshore ECMA did not lead to complete lithospheric breakup of the conjugate North American and African margins. Normal seafloor spreading began at the BSMA under a moderately high mantle potential temperature of ∼1395–1420°C, ∼25 million years after the initial formation of the volcanic margin. These results imply that stretching, thermal weakening, and rupture of the lithosphere may take millions of years, even in the presence of mantle melts.

Tie points for Gondwana reconstructions from a structural interpretation of the Mozambique Basin, East Africa and the Riiser-Larsen Sea, Antarctica

Abstract. Movements within early East Gondwana dispersal are poorly constrained, and there is debate about conjugate geologic structures and the timing and directions of the rifting and earliest seafloor spreading phases. We present a combined structural interpretation of multichannel reflection seismic profiles from offshore of northern Mozambique (East Africa) and the conjugate Riiser-Larsen Sea (Antarctica). We find similar structural styles at the margins of both basins. At certain positions at the foot of the continental slope close to the continent–ocean transition, the basement is intensely deformed and fractured, a structural style very untypical for rifted continental margins. Sediments overlying the fractured basement are deformed and reveal toplap and onlap geometries, indicating a post-breakup deformation phase. We propose this unique deformation zone as a tie point for Gondwana reconstructions. Accordingly, we interpret the western flank of Gunnerus Ridge, Antarctica as a transform margin similar to the Davie Ridge offshore of Madagascar, implying that they are conjugate features. As the continental slope deformation is post-rift, we propose a two-phase opening scenario. A first phase of rifting and early seafloor spreading, likely in NW–SE direction, was subsequently replaced by a N–S-directed transform deformation phase overprinting the continent–ocean transition. From previously identified magnetic chrons and the sediment stratigraphy, this change in the spreading directions from NW–SE to N–S is suggested to have occurred by the late Middle Jurassic. We suggest that the second phase of deformation corresponds to the strike-slip movement of Madagascar and Antarctica and discuss implications for Gondwana breakup.

Kinematic Evolution of the Southern North Atlantic: Implications for the Formation of Hyperextended Rift Systems

AbstractWe focus on the southern North Atlantic rifted margins to investigate the partitioning and propagation of deformation in hyperextended rift systems using plate kinematic modeling. The kinematic evolution of this area is well determined by oceanic magnetic anomalies after the Cretaceous normal polarity superchron. However, the rift and early seafloor spreading evolution (200–83 Ma) remains highly disputed due to contentious interpretations of the J magnetic anomaly on the Iberia‐Newfoundland conjugate margins. Recent studies highlight that the J anomaly is probably polygenic, related to polyphased magmatic events, and therefore does not correspond to an isochron. We present a new palinspastic restoration without using the J magnetic anomaly as the chron M0. We combine 3‐D gravity inversion results with local structural, stratigraphic, and geochronological constraints on the rift deformation history. The restoration of the southern North Atlantic itself is not the primary aim of the study but rather is used as a method to investigate the spatiotemporal evolution of hyperextended rift systems. We include continental microblocks that enable the partitioning of the deformation between different rift segments, which is of particular importance for the evolution of the Iberia‐Eurasia plate boundary. Our modeling highlights the following: (1) the segmentation of the Iberia‐Newfoundland rift system during continental crust thinning, (2) the northward V‐shape propagation of mantle exhumation and seafloor spreading, (3) the complex partitioning of deformation along the Iberia‐Eurasia plate boundary, and (4) a three‐plate propagation model which implies transtension.

Refining the Formation and Early Evolution of the Eastern North American Margin: New Insights From Multiscale Magnetic Anomaly Analyses

AbstractTo investigate the oceanic lithosphere formation and early seafloor spreading history of the North Atlantic Ocean, we examine multiscale magnetic anomaly data from the Jurassic/Early Cretaceous age Eastern North American Margin (ENAM) between 31 and 40°N. We integrate newly acquired sea surface magnetic anomaly and seismic reflection data with publicly available aeromagnetic and composite magnetic anomaly grids, satellite‐derived gravity anomaly, and satellite‐derived and shipboard bathymetry data. We evaluate these data sets to (1) refine magnetic anomaly correlations throughout the ENAM and assign updated ages and chron numbers to M0–M25 and eight pre‐M25 anomalies; (2) identify five correlatable magnetic anomalies between the East Coast Magnetic Anomaly (ECMA) and Blake Spur Magnetic Anomaly (BSMA), which may document the earliest Atlantic seafloor spreading or synrift magmatism; (3) suggest preexisting margin structure and rifting segmentation may have influenced the seafloor spreading regimes in the Atlantic Jurassic Quiet Zone (JQZ); (4) suggest that, if the BSMA source is oceanic crust, the BSMA may be M series magnetic anomaly M42 (~168.5 Ma); (5) examine the along and across margin variation in seafloor spreading rates and spreading center orientations from the BSMA to M25, suggesting asymmetric crustal accretion accommodated the straightening of the ridge from the bend in the ECMA to the more linear M25; and (6) observe anomalously high‐amplitude magnetic anomalies near the Hudson Fan, which may be related to a short‐lived propagating rift segment that could have helped accommodate the crustal alignment during the early Atlantic opening.

Timing of initial seafloor spreading in the Newfoundland-Iberia rift

Broad areas of subcontinental lithospheric mantle are commonly exposed along ocean-continent transition zones in magma-poor rifts and are thought to be exhumed along lithospheric-scale detachment faults during the final stages of rifting. However, the nature of the transition from final rifting to seafloor spreading is controversial. We present the first high-precision U-Pb zircon geochronologic and Hf isotopic data from gabbros that intrude exhumed mantle at Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Sites 1070 and 1277 in the Newfoundland-Iberia rift (North Atlantic). The sites are conjugate to one another within crust that is commonly considered to have been emplaced during early seafloor spreading. Magnetic data suggest that crustal accretion occurred at both sites during magnetic polarity chrons M3–M0 (130–126 Ma). However, our data indicate that asthenospheric melts were emplaced over brief intervals (≤1 m.y.) prior to or coeval with mantle exhumation at 124 Ma at ODP Site 1070 and 115 Ma at ODP Site 1277. We suggest that this discrepancy is the result of continued mantle exhumation along large, west-dipping detachment faults until lithospheric breakup. The breakup location is likely coincident with the large-amplitude magnetic J anomaly, and our 115 Ma date for magmatism within this anomaly provides the best available age constraint for breakup along the studied transect.

Tectonic evolution of Western Tethys from Jurassic to present day: coupling geological and geophysical data with seismic tomography models

ABSTRACTThe geodynamic evolution of the Western Tethys is characterized by multiple phases of rifting, seafloor spreading, subduction, and collisional events. Regional reconstructions are highly dependent on the kinematic history of the major plates bounding the Atlantic and Tethyan tectonic domains, as well as small micro-plates resulted from the fragmentation of northern Gondwanaland. The complexity of tectonic events in this area leads to major discrepancies between competing models about the timing, location, and polarity of subduction zones, for both the Cenozoic evolution and earlier phases. We focus on unravelling the Mesozoic evolution of the Western Tethys. We first reassessed kinematic models for the Early Jurassic–Late Cretaceous opening of the central, north central, and north Atlantic and used these as boundary conditions on the kinematic reconstructions of the Tethyan realm. We combined reconstructions of rifting and early seafloor spreading in northern Pangea that incorporate quantitative estimates of continental extension, and suggest a transtensional motion of Iberia relative to Europe in Early Cretaceous time to fit within the refined plate configuration of Central North Atlantic. We combined this regional framework with a recently published model for the motion of smaller blocks within the Western Tethys; from this model, we created synthetic isochrons for extinct oceanic basins and built evolving topological plate boundaries based on the new rigid plate model to derive a self-consistent and time-dependant model for the last 200 million years. We then examined the consistency of subduction history implied by the kinematic reconstructions, by comparing reconstructed plate boundary configurations to mantle velocity structure imaged by a range of seismic tomography models. Our results show that a satisfactory match can be made between Cenozoic subduction events in the Western Tethys region and observed shallow tomographic high-velocity material. However, the match is less clear for older subducted material. Correlations between surface reconstructions and deep Earth structure suggest that mid-deep mantle seismic features under present day Northeast-Central and Northwest Africa-Arabia may correspond with the Mesozoic subduction systems in the Vardar Ocean, Alpine Tethys, and Western Neotethys, respectively. These correlations support a model with intra-oceanic subduction of the Vardar Ocean from Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous, and mid-Early Cretaceous initiation of oceanic subduction in the Ligurian-Piemont Ocean. The results from the plate-tomography comparison suggest the existence of oceanic subduction in the Alpine Tethys Oceans in late early Cretaceous time. We investigated the uncertainties in the tectonic model in terms of absolute and relative plate motion and surface velocities and showed that choice of absolute reference frame can partially account for the lateral offset between the Vardar subduction zone and associated slab material in deep mantle; additional mismatches may be attributable to the limitations of our methodology, such as the assumption that slabs sink vertically.

Early seafloor spreading in the South Atlantic: new evidence for M-series magnetochrons north of the Rio Grande Fracture Zone

Early seafloor spreading in the South Atlantic: new evidence for M-series magnetochrons north of the Rio Grande Fracture Zone

Magmatism on rift flanks: Insights from ambient noise phase velocity in Afar region

AbstractDuring the breakup of continents in magmatic settings, the extension of the rift valley is commonly assumed to initially occur by border faulting and progressively migrate in space and time toward the spreading axis. Magmatic processes near the rift flanks are commonly ignored. We present phase velocity maps of the crust and uppermost mantle of the conjugate margins of the southern Red Sea (Afar and Yemen) using ambient noise tomography to constrain crustal modification during breakup. Our images show that the low seismic velocities characterize not only the upper crust beneath the axial volcanic systems but also both upper and lower crust beneath the rift flanks where ongoing volcanism and hydrothermal activity occur at the surface. Magmatic modification of the crust beneath rift flanks likely occurs for a protracted period of time during the breakup process and may persist through to early seafloor spreading.

Electrical resistivity structure under the western Cosmonauts Sea at the continental margin of East Antarctica inferred via a marine magnetotelluric experiment

The western Cosmonauts Sea, off the coast of East Antarctica, was a site of rifting of the Gondwana supercontinent and subsequent early seafloor spreading. To improve our understanding of the breakup of Gondwana, we conducted a marine magnetotelluric experiment to determine the electrical resistivity structure within the uppermost several hundred kilometers beneath the western Cosmonauts Sea. Magnetotelluric response functions at two sites, obtained after considering possible influences of non-plane magnetic field sources, suggest that these responses include distortions by topographic variations and conductive anomalies around the observation sites. Three-dimensional forward modeling confirmed that these distortions due to topographic variations and a thin (∼2-km thick) conductive layer immediately under the sites (mostly sediments) are severe. Furthermore, three-dimensional forward modeling to investigate the resistivity structure at deeper depths revealed an upper resistive layer (≥300 Ω-m), with a thickness of <100 km, and an underlying conductive half-space (∼10 Ω-m). The upper resistive layer and the underlying conductive structure most likely represent dry and water/melt-rich oceanic upper mantle, respectively. The upper resistive layer may be thinner than anticipated under the old seafloor of the study area (likely >90 Ma), and may suggest a conductive anomaly in the upper mantle produced by mantle convection and/or upwelling.

A Gravity and Bathymetric Study in the South East Continental Margin of India

The Eastern Continental Margin of India (ECMI) has formed as an upshot of separation of India from Antarctica during the early cretaceous period and subsequent seafloor spreading led to the evolution of Bay of Bengal. The study area, which lies between latitude 8° to 14°N and longitude 77.5° to 81°E, has been selected to delineate the width of the continental shelf region of the south east coast of India. GEBCO bathymetry data and Satellite gravity data has been used for the present study. The bathymetry contour map generated by GEBCO bathymetry data shows gradual increase in the depth from the coastal region (~100 m) to the central basin (~3700 m) and nearly follows a N-S trend from Karikal to Chennai. 24 profiles were extracted from the bathymetric as well as satellite gravity grid. The profiles were created perpendicular to the coastal margin. The maximum width of shelf (~45 km) is observed along the coast near Mamallapuram which is the river mouth of Palar River. Shelf width is gradually decreasing from Chennai to Karikal and the continental slope is also very steep. On the southern part of it, the continental shelf of India merges with that of Srilanka. Further south, in the Mannar basin, the shelf width ranges from 25 to 33 km. The continental shelf region is marked by a relatively high (-40 to 40 mGal) compared to the low gravity anomaly (-40 to -180 mGal) observed towards the basinal area. A local gravity high compared to the surroundings centered at 80.6A‹ÂsE and 11.8A‹ÂsN can be associated with the offshore extension of Moyar- Bhavani shear zone, which dissects south Indian terrain.

Revealing the early seafloor spreading history between India and Australia

The Perth Abyssal Plain, a section of ocean floor that lies off the western coast of Australia, formed as India and Australia broke away from what had been the supercontinent Gondwana, beginning around 130 million years ago. Oceanic crust within the Perth Abyssal Plain is the only region of preserved seafloor that directly records the early history of relative motion between India and Australia, but the lack of magnetic data collected in that region had made it difficult for scientists to validate tectonic models of the motion of those continents.

Inverse methods for modeling non-rigid plate kinematics: Application to mesozoic plate reconstructions of the Central Atlantic

Published plate reconstructions commonly show significant differences in initial plate configuration and syn-extensional opening directions. The variability of published models is primarily due to the difficulty associated with restoring crustal stretching history. Here we present an inverse non-rigid kinematic method that inverts plate motion and present day crustal thickness to approximate the history of bulk lateral strain and crustal thinning associated with lithospheric stretching. The kinematic link between plate motion and bulk crustal thickness that is used with this method is based on insights obtained from geodynamic models. We implement this approach in open source kinematic modeling software and apply it to test new Early Mesozoic plate kinematic models of the Central Atlantic. This application shows that the patterns of stretching inferred from the syn-rift basins of the Newark Supergroup can be explained if (1) syn-rift Euler pole flow lines were parallel to the Grand Banks transform margin and (2) initial formation of the East Coast Margin Igneous Province was coincident with the formation of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province. These syn-rift to breakup models of the Central Atlantic lead to better constrained models of early seafloor spreading that show full spreading velocities in the ultraslow regime and within the transition from ultraslow to slow spreading regimes.

The Jurassic history of the Africa–Antarctica corridor — new constraints from magnetic data on the conjugate continental margins

Finding the best fit for East- and West-Gondwana requires a detailed knowledge of the initial Jurassic movements between Africa and Antarctica. This study presents results of systematic and densely spaced aeromagnetic measurements, which have been conducted in 2009/2010 across the Astrid Ridge (Antarctica) and in the western Riiser-Larsen Sea to provide constraints for the early seafloor spreading history between both continents. The data reveal different magnetic signatures of the northern and southern parts of the Astrid Ridge, which are separated by the Astrid Fracture Zone. The southern part is weakly magnetised, corresponding to the low amplitude anomaly field of the southwestern Riiser-Larsen Sea. In contrast, the northern Astrid Ridge bears strong anomalies of positive value. Furthermore, several sets of trends are visible in the data.In the Mozambique Channel, we extended the existing magnetic spreading anomaly identifications. Combined with the spreading anomalies in the conjugate Riiser-Larsen Sea, they were used to establish a new model of the relative movements of Africa and Antarctica after the breakup of Gondwana in Jurassic times. A detailed model for the emplacement of the Mozambique Ridge is now incorporated.The model postulates a tight fit between Africa and Antarctica and two stages of breakup, the first of which lasting until ~159Ma (M33n). During this stage, Antarctica rotated anticlockwise with respect to Africa. The Grunehogna Craton cleared the Coastal Plains of Mozambique to a position east of the Mozambique Fracture Zone. The southern Astrid Ridge is interpreted to consist of oceanic crust, also formed during this first stage, prior to the Riiser-Larsen Sea. During the second stage, Antarctica moved southward with respect to Africa forming the Mozambique Basin and the conjugate Riiser-Larsen Sea. The Mozambique Ridge and the Northern Natal Valley were formed at different spreading centres being active subsequently.