Southeast Greenland Margin Research Articles

Impact of Tectonic, Glacial and Contour Current Processes on the Late Cenozoic Sedimentary Development of the Southeast Greenland Margin

To understand the geomorphological contrast between the northern and southern parts of the Southeast Greenland margin with its marked differences in sedimentary regime, bathymetric and seismic reflection, data have been compiled and analysed. While previous studies focused on selected parts of this margin, the present study provides an intergraded overview of the entire margin from Cap Farewell to Denmark Strait. The prominent north–south contrast shows a wide northern shelf and a narrow southern shelf. The origin of this width disparity can be traced back to the initial formation stage of the Irminger Sea due to regional differences in uplift versus oceanic subsidence. This regional tectonic discrepancy also created a difference in sediment accommodation space that, in combination with a weak ocean circulation regime, favoured formation of Oligocene–Miocene turbidite fan complexes along the lower southern slope. These fan complexes became the core of sediment drift ridges that strike perpendicular to the slope. Strong bottom currents, which gradually increase in strength towards the south, were mainly prevalent during warmer climate stages. During glacial periods, downslope transport of glacigenic sediments and hyperpycnal meltwater flow further shaped the large drift ridges and formed several relatively narrow, V-shaped turbidite channels extending towards the deep Irminger Sea basin. These V-shaped channels are still active today when cascading dense winter water from the shelf flows downwards along the shelf to the Irminger Sea basin.

Submarine Moraines in Southeast Greenland Fjords Reveal Contrasting Outlet‐Glacier Behavior since the Last Glacial Maximum

AbstractKnowledge of the past behavior of the outlet glaciers of Southeast (SE) Greenland is necessary to understand and model spatial differences in the response of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GIS) to climatic changes. Here we use bathymetric data to map the distribution of more than 50 major moraines in SE Greenland fjords. Inner‐fjord moraines are widespread along the SE Greenland margin, occurring in 65% of the surveyed fjords. We identify, for the first time, nine midfjord moraines that span the approximately 150‐km‐long eastern margin of the Julianehåb Ice Cap. In contrast, midfjord moraines are generally absent from the deeper and wider fjords of the SE GIS. The variable distribution of midfjord moraines along the SE Greenland margin reveals contrasting behavior of the SE GIS and the eastern Julianehåb Ice Cap during the last deglaciation, which probably reflects differences in fjord geometry and exposure to ocean heat.

Provenance of Quaternary glacial and glacimarine sediments along the southeast Greenland margin

The Nd and Sr isotopic compositions of Quaternary glacial and glacimarine siliciclastic sediments deposited along the margin of southeast Greenland were determined to assess the roles of the Greenland, Iceland, and more distal ice sheets in delivering detritus to this portion of the northern North Atlantic. The isotopic compositions of detritus generated by portions of the southern Greenland Ice Sheet were defined through measurements of till and trough mouth fan sediments. Massive diamicts from the Scoresby Sund trough mouth fan show a restricted range of ε Nd (− 11.8 to − 16.6) and 87Sr/ 86Sr (0.7192–0.7246) consistent with their derivation from mixtures of sediments derived from Paleoproterozoic and/or Caledonian basement and Tertiary Greenland basalts. Further south at Kangerlussuaq, till isotopic compositions covary with the underlying basement type, with low ε Nd values in the inner fiord (− 18.1) reflecting the erosion of the local Precambrian gneisses, but with higher ε Nd values (− 2.3 to 2.5) found where the trough crosses East Greenland Tertiary basalts. Fine-grained (< 63 µm) sediments deposited along the southeast Greenland margin also show regular spatial isotopic variations. Ambient sediments and ice-rafted detritus in the southern Irminger Basin trend towards low ε Nd values (to ~ − 28) and 87Sr/ 86Sr ratios (~ 0.711 to ~ 0.715) and are likely derived from proximal Archean gneisses of SE Greenland. Further north in the northern Irminger and Blosseville Basins, sediments trend toward much higher ε Nd (> − 4) and low 87Sr/ 86Sr (< 0.709) reflecting a component derived from the local Iceland volcanic rocks and/or the East Greenland Tertiary basalts. In all three regions, the locally-derived detritus is intermixed with sediment with an intermediate ε Nd value (~ − 10) and 87Sr/ 86Sr (~ 0.718) that was likely delivered by icebergs emanating from the Eurasian Ice Sheets and not from eastern Greenland. Deposition of glacial sediments from both proximal and distal (Eurasian) sources occurred adjacent to SE Greenland throughout the past 50 Ka, with periodic increases in IRD deposition at various times including those of Heinrich events 1, 2 and 4. These results suggest that at least the southern portions of the Greenland Ice Sheet experienced periodic instabilities during the Last Glacial period.

Sediment deposition in the northern basins of the North Atlantic and characteristic variations in shelf sedimentation along the East Greenland margin

New seismic data off East Greenland were acquired in the summer of 2002, between 77°N and 81°N, north of the Greenland Fracture zone. The data were combined with results from the Greenland Basin and ODP site 909, and indicate a pronounced middle Miocene unconformity within the deep sea basins between 72°N and 81°N. Seismic unit NA-1 consists of sediments older than middle Miocene age and unit NA-2 contains sediments younger than the middle Miocene. Classification of a thinly bedded succession in the Molloy Basin resulted in a subdivision into four units (unit I, unit II, unit IIIA and unit IIIB). A comparison of volume estimations and sediment thickness maps between 72°N and 81°N indicates differences in sediment accumulation in the Greenland, Boreas and Molloy basins. Important controls on the variation of accumulation included different opening times of the basins, as well as tectonic conditions and varying sources of sediment transport. Due to prominent basement structures and the varying reflection character of the sediments along the entire East Greenland margin, we defined an age model of shelf sediments on the basis of similar sediment deposit geometry and known results from other regions. The seismic sequences on the shelf up to an age of middle Miocene are divided into three sub-units along the East Greenland margin: middle Miocene–middle late Miocene (SU-3), middle late Miocene–Pleistocene (SU-2), Pleistocene (SU-1). The differences in the geometry of the sequences show more ice stream related sedimentation between 72°N and 77°N and more ice sheet related sedimentation north of 78°N. The region south of 68°N is dominated by more aggradational sedimentary strata so that a glacio-fluvial drainage seems the main transport mechanism. Due to the Greenland Inland–ice borderlines, we assume the glaciers between the Scoresby Sund and 68°N did not reach the shelf break. A first comparison of the sediment structure of the Northeast Greenland margin with the Southeast Greenland margin made it possible to demonstrate significant differences in sedimentation along this margin.

From Devonian extensional collapse to early Eocene continental break-up: an extended transect of the Kejser Franz Joseph Fjord of the East Greenland margin

SUMMARY Seismic investigations along East Greenland’s Fjord Region completed during the last decade provide fundamental insights into the region’s crustal structure and tectonic history. A summary of models along a transect through the Kejser Franz Joseph Fjord provides a view from the Precambrian Shield to the Eocene oceanic crust. We conclude that a change of rifting geometry from an upper- to a lower-plate-style margin occurred in early Mesozoic times and formed the >350-km-wide rift zone. Despite the demonstrated asymmetry of the northeast Greenland and conjugate Voring margins, the change of rift geometries and the direction of rift jumps remain debatable. A combined model for productivity and duration of magmatism is proposed for the northeast Greenland fjord region. We suggest that magmatism started slowly at 58.8 ± 3.6 Ma with a production rate of 1.5 × 10 −4 km 3 km −1 a −1 , which is similar to the productivity of onshore upper and lower lava sequences on the Geikie Plateau. A peak of 9.4 × 10 −4 km 3 km −1 a −1 for 0.5 Myr, and a subsequent productivity of 4.4 ± 0.3 × 10 −4 km 3 km −1 a −1 for 2.5 Myr between 53.3 and 50.8 Ma, produced the majority of melt, but break-up did not occur immediately afterwards. Continuous production of melt, similar to the rate of ocean spreading until C22 (∼50 Ma), contributed to massive magmatic underplating until eventual break-up at 50 Ma. The volumes and production rates show similarities to those obtained from a profile off the southeast Greenland margin but with a major difference in a smaller regional spatial extent.

Modelling the composition of melts formed during continental breakup of the Southeast Greenland margin

We have developed a generic dynamic model of extension of the lithosphere, which predicts major element composition and volume of melt generated from initial extension to steady state seafloor spreading. Stokes equations for non-Newtonian flow are solved and the mantle melts by decompression. Strengthening of the mantle due to dehydration as melting progresses is included. The composition is then empirically related to depletion. Using a crystallisation algorithm, the predicted primary melt composition was compared with mean North Atlantic mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB). At steady state, using half spreading rates from 10 to 20 mm yr − 1 and mantle potential temperatures of 1300 to 1325 °C we predict a major element composition that is within the variation in the mean of North Atlantic MORB. This model is applied to the Southeast Greenland margin, which has extensive coverage of seismic and ODP core data. These data have been interpreted to indicate an initial pulse of magmatism on rifting that rapidly decayed to leave oceanic crustal thickness of 8 to 11 km. This pattern of melt production can be recreated by introducing an initial hot layer of asthenosphere beneath the continental lithosphere and by having a period of fast spreading during early opening. The hot layer was convected through the melt region giving a pulse of high magnesian and low silica melt during the early rifting process. The predicted major element composition of primary melts generated are in close agreement with primary melts from the Southeast Greenland margin. The observed variations in major element composition are reproduced without a mantle source composition anomaly.

Acquisition of the neodymium isotopic composition of the North Atlantic Deep Water

The North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) neodymium isotopic composition (Nd IC) is increasingly used in oceanography and paleoceanography to trace large‐scale circulation and weathering processes, notably to investigate past variations of the global thermohaline circulation. Although the present‐day NADW Nd IC is well characterized at ɛNd = −13.5, the acquisition of this isotopic signature (in other words, the causes of this value) has so far been very sparsely documented. Such an understanding is, however, fundamental to the interpretation of paleo records. Nd IC and rare earth element concentrations were measured at 9 stations within the North Atlantic Subpolar Gyre (SIGNATURE cruise, summer 1999). The comparison of this data set with our understanding of water mass circulation provides a description of how the three layers constituting the NADW, the Labrador Sea Water (LSW, ɛNd = −13.9 ± 0.4), North East Atlantic Deep Water (NEADW, ɛNd −13.2 ± 0.4), and North West Atlantic Bottom Water (NWABW, ɛNd −14.5 ± 0.4), acquire their Nd IC through distinct water mass mixings and lithogenic inputs. These different mechanisms, acting upon water masses from very diverse sources, seem to bring the Nd IC of the three NADW layers to values close together and similar to that of the NADW. It is suggested that sediment/seawater interactions significantly lower the NEADW and NWABW Nd IC along the South East Greenland margin. Since these interactions do not significantly modify the Nd content of these water masses, sediment remobilizations leading to the Nd IC variations are probably associated with Nd removal fluxes from the water mass toward the sediment, a process called boundary exchange. On the other hand, LSW seems to acquire its Nd IC from the Subpolar Mode Waters from which it is formed by deep convection, and no other mechanism needs to be invoked. Its unradiogenic signature could ultimately be linked to fresh water runoff from the Canadian Shield. These conclusions should allow more precise interpretations of paleoceanographic Nd IC records, taking into account the distinct histories of the three NADW layers, including distinct water mass mixings and distinct lithogenic inputs.

Coccolithophorids from the Southeast Greenland Margin (Northern North Atlantic): production, ecology and the surface sediment record

A total of 27 coccolithophorid species were identified in water samples from the Southeast Greenland Margin taken during the late summer 1997. This is the first report of coccolithophorids present in this region, so close to the extreme environment of Greenland’s shoreline. Surprisingly, a consistent standing crop of temperate coccolithophorid species occurs, despite environmental conditions with sea surface water covered by ice for most of the year. Cell concentrations range between 1.7x10 2 and 2x10 5 cell/l. The upper photic zone is dominated by Emiliania huxleyi and Syracosphaera spp. Coccolithus pelagicus is present in both of its life stages (holo- and heterococcolithophorid), with a different distribution in the water column. The maximum concentration of cells/l is recorded at depths of 10m. Cell concentrations decrease quickly with depth. In this study, surface sediments were also used to analyse the coccolithophorid spatial distribution and their fate after death. The coccolith distribution pattern in the surface sediments of the Southeast Greenland Margin reflects the conditions of the overlying surface water masses.

Post-Miocene sedimentation at the continental rise of Southeast Greenland: the interplay between turbidity and contour currents

Southeast Greenland continental rise depositional sequences have been studied by means of high-resolution reflection seismic data. Major depositional features of this glaciated margin have been compared with comparable seismic architectures at the Antarctic margin. Two seismic units with an estimated age of early to mid Pliocene and mid Pliocene to Recent have been analysed in detail. It is concluded that episodic turbidity currents interacting with more continuous contour currents have controlled the location and architecture of the sedimentary mounds found off Southeast Greenland. In the early Pliocene turbidite sediment input significantly surpassed the amount of sediments reworked and transported by southbound contour currents. As a result an overbank deposit developed, oriented perpendicular to the continental slope at the proximal part and parallel to the continental slope in the distal part where the effect of the turbidity processes decreased. Contour current action further resulted in a southward migration of the overbank deposit. From the mid Pliocene, a relatively stronger impact of the contour current on the sedimentation pattern is observed, suggesting a relative decrease of downslope sediment transport processes. Stronger contour current activity may have been related to generally enhanced North Atlantic deep-water circulation. This resulted in formation of elongated contourite deposits trending parallel to the continental slope both in proximal and distal settings. The morphology and seismic expression of the sedimentary mound structures at the Southeast Greenland margin display several features also observed at the Antarctic margin. It is concluded, however, that the sedimentary mounds in the latter area formed in a different way, which is principally attributed to persisting contour current activity off Antarctica during glacial stages, when currents off Southeast Greenland had virtually ceased.

Late Quaternary sedimentary processes and ocean circulation changes at the Southeast Greenland margin

A study has been made of late Quaternary depositional processes and bottom current activity on the Southeast Greenland margin, using seismic, sub-bottom profiling and deep-tow side-scan sonar data as well as sediment core information. The seabed data demonstrate the occurrence of strong, southerly bottom currents prevailing on the slope and rise. Well-defined longitudinal bedforms indicate maximum mean near-bottom current velocities of up to at least 1.0 m/s at the depth stratum of Labrador Sea water (800–1500 m). Similarly strong currents occur in Denmark Strait overflow water (DSOW) at the base of the slope, whereas more basinward the maximum DSOW flow speed is lower. Iceberg plow marks were found down to about 700 m water depth. Both at the shelf edge and on the lower slope and rise the seafloor morphology is indicative of downslope sediment transport and mass flow deposition, which is concluded to be a typically glacial feature. After generally more sluggish deep-water circulation during the last glacial maximum, DSOW basin ventilation was re-established shortly before 13.3 ka. On the shelf, in front of the retreating Greenland ice margin, permanent or semi-permanent sea ice conditions prevailed until about 12.5 ka. At that time increased Irminger Current activity had resulted in warming, and East Greenland Current (EGC)-controlled iceberg drift increased. No evidence was found for a return to extreme glacial conditions or a ceasing of DSOW flow during the Younger Dryas. Abundant coarse IRD collected at greater water depth from shallow sub-seabed strata has a provenance mainly in the northern part of East Greenland (68–73°N), which demonstrates the existence of a pre-Holocene EGC system initially extending to beyond the shelf edge.

Methods for resolving the origin of large igneous provinces from crustal seismology

We present a new quantitative framework to understand the process of mantle melting based on the velocity structure of igneous crust. Our approach focuses on the lower crustal section, which is expected to be least affected by porosity and seawater alteration, especially for thick igneous crust. Our methodology is thus best for constraining the origin of large igneous provinces. First, a quantitative relation between bulk crustal velocity and mantle melting parameters is established on the basis of data from mantle melting experiments. Second, we show how lower crustal velocity can be used to place bounds on the expected range of bulk crustal velocity, despite ambiguity in crustal emplacement processes. By modeling fractional crystallization processes at a range of crustal pressures, these bounds are derived as a function of the proportion of lower versus upper crust. Finally, a simple mantle melting model is constructed to illustrate the effects of potential temperature, active upwelling, and a preexisting lithospheric lid on predicted crustal thickness and velocity. As an example, this new interpretation is applied to a seismic transect across the southeast Greenland margin to constrain mantle dynamics during the opening of the North Atlantic. Some complicating factors in seismological inference on mantle melting process, such as the possibilities of subcrustal igneous fractionation and mantle source heterogeneity, are also discussed with this example.

Contrasting rifted margin styles south of Greenland: implications for mantle plume dynamics

We present new and reprocessed seismic reflection data from the area where the southeast and southwest Greenland margins intersected to form a triple junction south of Greenland in the early Tertiary. During breakup at 56 Ma, thick igneous crust was accreted along the entire 1300-km-long southeast Greenland margin from the Greenland Iceland Ridge to, and possibly ∼100 km beyond, the triple junction into the Labrador Sea. However, highly extended and thin crust 250 km to the west of the triple junction suggests that magmatically starved crustal formation occurred on the southwest Greenland margin at the same time. Thus, a transition from a volcanic to a non-volcanic margin over only 100–200 km is observed. Magmatism related to the impact of the Iceland plume below the North Atlantic around 61 Ma is known from central-west and southeast Greenland. The new seismic data also suggest the presence of a small volcanic plateau of similar age close to the triple junction. The extent of initial plume-related volcanism inferred from these observations is explained by a model of lateral flow of plume material that is guided by relief at the base of the lithosphere. Plume mantle is channelled to great distances provided that significant melting does not take place. Melting causes cooling and dehydration of the plume mantle. The associated viscosity increase acts against lateral flow and restricts plume material to its point of entry into an actively spreading rift. We further suggest that thick Archaean lithosphere blocked direct flow of plume material into the magma-starved southwest Greenland margin while the plume was free to flow into the central west and east Greenland margins. The model is consistent with a plume layer that is only moderately hotter, ∼100–200°C, than ambient mantle temperature, and has a thickness comparable to lithospheric thickness variations, ∼50–100 km. Lithospheric architecture, the timing of continental rifting and viscosity changes due to melting of the plume material are therefore critical parameters for understanding the distribution of magmatism.

Distribution of organic‐walled dinoflagellate cysts in surface sediments from transects across the Polar Front offshore southeast Greenland

AbstractThe Polar Front along the southeast Greenland Margin denotes the contrasting hydrographic properties of the polar and Atlantic water masses on either side. The remains of planktonic organisms in underlying sediments are expected to reflect these contrasts. To test this, we quantitatively analysed the organic‐walled dinoflagellate cyst (dinocyst) assemblages in surface sediments from transects across the present‐day Polar Front on the southeast Greenland Margin.Proportional differences are found between the composition of the dinocyst assemblages on either side of the Polar Front. The influence of polar water can be traced in the dinocyst record as high abundances of Algidasphaeridium? minutum and the presence of Pentapharsodinium dalei. The influence of Atlantic water is reflected in the presence of Operculodinium centrocarpum and Selenopemphix quanta. All samples include taxa from both environments, but the quantitative composition of the cyst assemblages clearly reflects the hydrographic features of the overlying surface water masses. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Gravity anomalies and crustal structure at the southeast Greenland margin

Free‐air gravity anomalies across the southeast Greenland margin are investigated in conjunction with a well‐constrained seismic velocity model to provide a constraint on subsurface density structure. This volcanic rifted margin is characterized by the presence of ∼30‐km‐thick igneous crust, which correlates with a positive gravity high of ∼60 mGal. A new systematic approach is adopted for gravity modeling, which consists of (1) full error propagation from the velocity model to predicted gravity anomalies through a posteriori model covariance represented by Monte Carlo ensembles, (2) the inversion of residual gravity anomalies for density variations within geological subdomains, and (3) the joint inversion of seismic travel times and gravity anomalies. A density model derived from the velocity model, using conventional conversion laws for the continental and oceanic crust, substantially underpredicts the observed gravity by ∼70 mGal over the continental shelf. Neither errors in the velocity model nor the uncertainty of the chosen conversion laws are shown to be sufficient for such a large gravity misfit. A possible range of mantle contribution is first investigated by modeling various thermal evolution and depletion scenarios, which suggests that the maximum contribution is only ∼20 mGal, assuming constant source mantle composition throughout continental rifting and subsequent seafloor spreading. If most of the residual gravity anomaly has a crustal origin, applying a conversion law with a denser upper crust in the continent‐ocean transition zone seems to be the only plausible option to resolve this difficulty. Contrasting eruption environments for the transition zone crust (subaerial) and the oceanic crust (submarine) probably result in different porosity structures, to which a velocity‐density relationship is highly sensitive. The wire log and laboratory measurements of plateau basalts recovered from recent drilling legs on North Atlantic margins seem to support this explanation. An alternative explanation, which invokes a strong degree of source mantle heterogeneity, is also plausible on the basis of a recent geochemical study of the North Atlantic igneous province.

Crustal structure of the southeast Greenland margin from joint refraction and reflection seismic tomography

We present results from a combined multichannel seismic reflection (MCS) and wideangle onshore/offshore seismic experiment conducted in 1996 across the southeast Greenland continental margin. A new seismic tomographic method is developed to jointly invert refraction and reflection travel times for a two‐dimensional velocity structure. We employ a hybrid ray‐tracing scheme based on the graph method and the local ray‐bending refinement to efficiently obtain an accurate forward solution, and we employ smoothing and optional damping constraints to regularize an iterative inversion. We invert 2318 Pg and 2078 PmP travel times to construct a compressional velocity model for the 350‐km‐long transect, and a long‐wavelength structure with strong lateral heterogeneity is recovered, including (1) ∼30‐km‐thick, undeformed continental crust with a velocity of 6.0 to 7.0 km/s near the landward end, (2) 30‐ to 15‐km‐thick igneous crust within a 150‐km‐wide continent‐ocean transition zone, and (3) 15‐ to 9‐km‐thick oceanic crust toward the seaward end. The thickness of the igneous upper crust characterized by a high‐velocity gradient also varies from 6 km within the transition zone to ∼3 km seaward. The bottom half of the lower crust generally has a velocity higher than 7.0 km/s, reaching a maximum of 7.2 to 7.5 km/s at the Moho. A nonlinear Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis is performed to estimate the a posteriori model variance, showing that most velocity and depth nodes are well determined with one standard deviation of 0.05–0.10 km/s and 0.25–1.5 km, respectively. Despite significant variation in crustal thickness, the mean velocity of the igneous crust, which serves as a proxy for the bulk crustal composition, is surprisingly constant (∼7.0 km/s) along the transect. On the basis of a mantle melting model incorporating the effect of active mantle upwelling, this velocity‐thickness relationship is used to constrain the mantle melting process during the breakup of Greenland and Europe. Our result is consistent with a nearly constant mantle potential temperature of 1270–1340°C throughout the rifting but with a rapid transition in the style of mantle upwelling, from vigorous active upwelling during the initial rifting phase to passive upwelling in the later phase.

The Iceland plume in space and time: a Sr–Nd–Pb–Hf study of the North Atlantic rifted margin

New Sr–Nd–Pb–Hf data require the existence of at least four mantle components in the genesis of basalts from the the North Atlantic Igneous Province (NAIP): (1) one (or more likely a small range of) enriched component(s) within the Iceland plume, (2) a depleted component within the Iceland plume (distinct from the shallow N-MORB source), (3) a depleted sheath surrounding the plume and (4) shallow N-MORB source mantle. These components have been available since the major phase of igneous activity associated with plume head impact during Paleogene times. In Hf–Nd isotope space, samples from Iceland, DSDP Leg 49 (Sites 407, 408 and 409), ODP Legs 152 and 163 (southeast Greenland margin), the Reykjanes Ridge, Kolbeinsey Ridge and DSDP Leg 38 (Site 348) define fields that are oblique to the main ocean island basalt array and extend toward a component with higher 176Hf/ 177Hf than the N-MORB source available prior to arrival of the plume, as indicated by the compositions of Cretaceous basalts from Goban Spur (∼95 Ma). Aside from Goban Spur, only basalts from Hatton Bank on the oceanward side of the Rockall Plateau (DSDP Leg 81) lie consistently within the field of N-MORB, which indicates that the compositional influence of the plume did not reach this far south and east ∼55 Ma ago. Thus, Hf–Nd isotope systematics are consistent with previous studies which indicate that shallow MORB-source mantle does not represent the depleted component within the Iceland plume [Thirlwall, J. Geol. Soc. London 152 (1995) 991–996; Hards et al., J. Geol. Soc. London 152 (1995) 1003–1009; Fitton et al., Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 153 (1997) 197–208]. They also indicate that the depleted component is a long-lived and intrinsic feature of the Iceland plume, generated during an ancient melting event in which a mineral (such as garnet) with a high Lu/Hf was a residual phase. Collectively, these data suggest a model for the Iceland plume in which a heterogeneous core, derived from the lower mantle, consists of ‘enriched’ streaks or blobs dispersed in a more depleted matrix. A distinguishing feature of both the enriched and depleted components is high Nb/Y for a given Zr/Y (i.e. positive ΔNb), but the enriched component has higher Sr and Pb isotope ratios, combined with lower εNd and εHf. This heterogeneous core is surrounded by a sheath of depleted material, similar to the depleted component of the Iceland plume in its εNd and εHf, but with lower 87Sr/ 86Sr, 208Pb/ 204Pb and negative ΔNb; this material was probably entrained from near the 670 km discontinuity when the plume stalled at the boundary between the upper and lower mantle. The plume sheath displaced more normal MORB asthenosphere (distinguished by its lower εHf for a given εNd or Zr/Nb ratio), which existed in the North Atlantic prior to plume impact. Preliminary data on MORBs from near the Azores plume suggest that much of the North Atlantic may be ‘polluted’ not only by enriched plume material but also by depleted material similar to the Iceland plume sheath. If this hypothesis is correct, it may provide a general explanation for some of the compositional diversity and variations in inferred depth of melting [Klein and Langmuir, J. Geophys. Res. 92 (1987) 8089–8115] along the MAR in the North Atlantic.

Late Quaternary palaeo-oceanography of the Denmark Strait overflow pathway, South-East Greenland margin

Direct interaction between the atmosphere and the deep ocean basins takes place today only in the Southern Ocean near the Antarctic continent and in the northern extremity of the North Atlantic Ocean, notably in the Norwegian–Greenland Sea and Labrador Sea. Cooling and evaporation cause surface waters in the latter region to become dense and sink. At depth, further mixing occurs with Arctic water masses from adjacent polar shelves. Export of these water masses from the Norwegian–Greenland Sea (Norwegian Sea Overflow Water) to the North Atlantic basin occurs via two major gateways, the Denmark Strait system and the Faeroe– Shetland Channel and Faeroe Bank Channel system (e.g. Dickson et al. 1990; Fig.1). Deep convection in the Labrador Sea produces intermediate waters (Labrador Sea Water), which spreads across the North Atlantic. Deep waters thus formed in the North Atlantic (North Atlantic Deep Water) constitute an essential component of a global ‘conveyor’ belt extending from the North Atlantic via the Southern and Indian Oceans to the Pacific. Water masses return as a (warm) surface water flow. In the North Atlantic this is the Gulf Stream and the relatively warm and saline North Atlantic Current. Numerous palaeo-oceanographic studies have indicated that climatic changes in the North Atlantic region are closely related to changes in surface circulation and in the production of North Atlantic Deep Water. Abrupt shut-down of the ocean-overturning and subsequently of the conveyor belt is believed to represent a potential explanation for rapid climate deterioration at high latitudes, such as those that caused the Quaternary ice ages. Here it should be noted, that significant changes in deep convection in Greenland waters have also recently occurred. While in the Greenland Sea deep water formation over the last decade has drastically decreased, a strong increase of deep convection has simultaneously been observed in the Labrador Sea (Sy et al. 1997).

Late Quaternary palaeo-oceanography of the Denmark Strait overflow pathway, South-East Greenland margin

Direct interaction between the atmosphere and the deep ocean basins takes place today only in the Southern Ocean near the Antarctic continent and in the northern extremity of the North Atlantic Ocean, notably in the Norwegian–Greenland Sea and Labrador Sea. Cooling and evaporation cause surface waters in the latter region to become dense and sink. At depth, further mixing occurs with Arctic water masses from adjacent polar shelves. Export of these water masses from the Norwegian–Greenland Sea (Norwegian Sea Overflow Water) to the North Atlantic basin occurs via two major gateways, the Denmark Strait system and the Faeroe– Shetland Channel and Faeroe Bank Channel system (e.g. Dickson et al. 1990; Fig.1). Deep convection in the Labrador Sea produces intermediate waters (Labrador Sea Water), which spreads across the North Atlantic. Deep waters thus formed in the North Atlantic (North Atlantic Deep Water) constitute an essential component of a global ‘conveyor’ belt extending from the North Atlantic via the Southern and Indian Oceans to the Pacific. Water masses return as a (warm) surface water flow. In the North Atlantic this is the Gulf Stream and the relatively warm and saline North Atlantic Current. Numerous palaeo-oceanographic studies have indicated that climatic changes in the North Atlantic region are closely related to changes in surface circulation and in the production of North Atlantic Deep Water. Abrupt shut-down of the ocean-overturning and subsequently of the conveyor belt is believed to represent a potential explanation for rapid climate deterioration at high latitudes, such as those that caused the Quaternary ice ages. Here it should be noted, that significant changes in deep convection in Greenland waters have also recently occurred. While in the Greenland Sea deep water formation over the last decade has drastically decreased, a strong increase of deep convection has simultaneously been observed in the Labrador Sea (Sy et al. 1997).

Seismic investigations offshore South-East Greenland

A high-resolution, shallow-seismic survey off the SouthEast Greenland coast was carried out during August and September 1997 aboard the R/V Dana of the Danish Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. This seismic survey supports two large ongoing regional research projects. The Danish Lithosphere Centre (DLC) is involved in a number of investigations to understand the tectonic evolution of the North Atlantic region since the early Tertiary, and a consortium of scientists from the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) and the Free University of Amsterdam (VU) are engaged in palaeo-oceanographic studies of climate change since the Neogene. The survey was thus a cooperative venture where ship time was shared between the participating research institutes. This report focuses on the DLC component of the cruise, which primarily involved the acquisition of site-survey data to be used in the planning and execution of drilling operations scheduled for 1998. These drilling operations are aimed at understanding the voluminous volcanic activity that accompanied continental rifting and the formation of the South-East Greenland margin. The GEUS/VU component of the cruise is summarised elsewhere in this volume (Kuijpers et al. 1998, this volume).

40Ar–39Ar geochronology of silicic and basic volcanic rocks on the margins of the North Atlantic

At the submerged margins of the North Atlantic, andesitic to dacitic and basaltic volcanic rocks occur together. The silicic rocks were derived by processes requiring the presence of continental crust (crustal anatexis and/or contamination of mafic magmas) while the majority of the basaltic lavas had little or no contact with continental crust. We report 40Ar–39Ar incremental heating ages for several dacitic and basaltic rocks recovered from three offshore localities of the North Atlantic Igneous Province. Dacitic lavas and tuffs at the southeast Greenland margin and trachytic lavas in the Scottish Hebrides erupted contemporaneously with basaltic lavas at 62–61 Ma. In contrast, the silicic lavas from the northern Rockall Trough (offshore western Scotland) and the Vøring Plateau (offshore Norway) erupted at ∼55 Ma followed shortly by basaltic volcanism. At this time, silicic magmatism at the southeast Greenland margin had ceased and only oceanic basalts were erupted. Similarly, ∼55 Ma lavas on the southwest Rockall Plateau are wholly basaltic. The compositions of all of the dated silicic volcanic rocks are consistent with derivation from partial melting of either continental crust or sediments. The heat necessary for partial melting appears to have been provided by basaltic magmas. Therefore, the existence of the silicic rocks indicates the presence of continental crust as well as a stable tectonic environment that allowed the stagnation and pooling of basaltic melts within the crust. With this in mind, it is apparent that at 62–60 Ma, both western and eastern sides of the present North Atlantic margins were characterized by extensional environments within continental crust that were restrictive to the passage of mafic magmas. By 55 Ma, at the time of continental breakup, the proximal margins at southeast Greenland and the Rockall Plateau were devoid of continental crust. But the presence of 55 Ma silicic magmatism on the eastern North Atlantic margin can be attributed to a broader zone of magmatism and sediment-filled Mesozoic rift basins.