Mesozoic detachment faulting between Greenland and Norway: Inferences from Jan Mayen Fracture Zone system and associated alkalic volcanic rocks

The spatial relation between the Jan Mayen Fracture Zone system and two occurrences of early Tertiary, mantle-derived volcanic rock complexes indicates that an older, continental fault system may have had hidden extensions in the deep lithosphere. This is taken as indirect evidence that the inferred...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geology (Boulder) 1991-05, Vol.19 (5), p.481-484
Main Authors: Torske, Tore, Prestvik, Tore
Format: Article
Language:English
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The spatial relation between the Jan Mayen Fracture Zone system and two occurrences of early Tertiary, mantle-derived volcanic rock complexes indicates that an older, continental fault system may have had hidden extensions in the deep lithosphere. This is taken as indirect evidence that the inferred fracture- zone precursor may have acted as a transfer-fault system, linking rifts formed by opposing, simple-shear detachment faulting through the lithosphere. We infer that this contributed to continental rifting between Greenland and Norway in Mesozoic to Paleocene time, before sea-floor spreading began in the Norwegian- Greenland Sea region.
ISSN:0091-7613
DOI:10.1130/0091-7613(1991)0192.3.CO;2