The geophysical implications of minimal Tertiary motion along Nares Strait
In the light of the geological evidence indicating less than 25 km of left-lateral offset along the Wegener Fault in Nares Strait, we examined three models for the formation of Baffin Bay which do not involve sea-floor spreading in that region. Our purpose was to investigate whether these models pre...
Published in: | Meddelelser om Grønland. Geoscience |
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The Commission for Scientific Research in Greenland /Danish Polar Center
1982
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Online Access: | https://tidsskrift.dk/meddrgroenland_geosci/article/view/139584 |
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ftkbcopenhojs:oai:ojs.tidsskrift.dk:article/139584 2024-01-28T10:04:38+01:00 The geophysical implications of minimal Tertiary motion along Nares Strait Keen, Charlotte E. Peel, John S. 1982-06-10 application/pdf https://tidsskrift.dk/meddrgroenland_geosci/article/view/139584 eng eng The Commission for Scientific Research in Greenland /Danish Polar Center https://tidsskrift.dk/meddrgroenland_geosci/article/view/139584/183601 https://tidsskrift.dk/meddrgroenland_geosci/article/view/139584 Meddelelser om Grønland. Geoscience; Vol. 8 (1982): Meddelelser om Grønland. Geoscience; 327-337 Meddelelser om Grønland. Geoscience; Årg. 8 (1982): Meddelelser om Grønland, Geoscience; 327-337 1600-4590 0106-1046 10.7146/moggeosci.v8i info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 1982 ftkbcopenhojs https://doi.org/10.7146/moggeosci.v8i 2024-01-03T23:58:29Z In the light of the geological evidence indicating less than 25 km of left-lateral offset along the Wegener Fault in Nares Strait, we examined three models for the formation of Baffin Bay which do not involve sea-floor spreading in that region. Our purpose was to investigate whether these models present realistic alternatives to sea-floor spreading and simultaneously remove the requirement for extensive lateral separation between Greenland and North America. These models are crustal extension, mantle upwelling and magmatic intrusion. Each model is constrained to match the observed subsidence and present width of the basin and, where possible, the observed crustal thickness. The crustal extension and magmatic intrusion models require extensive left-lateral motion between Greenland and North America, and thus they appear to be at odds with the geological observations. Furthermore, neither the mantle upwelling model nor the magmatic intrusion model can produce the required crustal thinning (85% of continental crust must be eliminated), and there are no analogous examples of such an extreme case of 'oceanization' elsewhere in the world. Thus none of the models can account for both the thin crust in central Baffin Bay and the apparent lack of offset along the Wegener Fault. We suggest two possible solutions to the conflict between the available observations: 1) Tertiary left-lateral motion has reversed earlier right-lateral motion; or 2) left-lateral motion between Greenland and North America was accommodated elsewhere than along the Nares Strait waterway. The first is shown to be in conflict with geological evidence from the margins of Baffin Bay. There is at present no evidence to support the second, but we suggest that this possibility be critically evaluated in future studies of the geological history of the region. In this context, we suggest that minimal offset across the Nares Strait waterway need not be incompatible with major Tertiary left-lateral motion on the Wegener Fault if one accepts the concept of a ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Baffin Bay Baffin Bay Baffin Greenland Nares strait Tidsskrift.dk (The Royal Library, Denmark) Baffin Bay Greenland Nares ENVELOPE(158.167,158.167,-81.450,-81.450) Meddelelser om Grønland. Geoscience 8 |
institution |
Open Polar |
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Tidsskrift.dk (The Royal Library, Denmark) |
op_collection_id |
ftkbcopenhojs |
language |
English |
description |
In the light of the geological evidence indicating less than 25 km of left-lateral offset along the Wegener Fault in Nares Strait, we examined three models for the formation of Baffin Bay which do not involve sea-floor spreading in that region. Our purpose was to investigate whether these models present realistic alternatives to sea-floor spreading and simultaneously remove the requirement for extensive lateral separation between Greenland and North America. These models are crustal extension, mantle upwelling and magmatic intrusion. Each model is constrained to match the observed subsidence and present width of the basin and, where possible, the observed crustal thickness. The crustal extension and magmatic intrusion models require extensive left-lateral motion between Greenland and North America, and thus they appear to be at odds with the geological observations. Furthermore, neither the mantle upwelling model nor the magmatic intrusion model can produce the required crustal thinning (85% of continental crust must be eliminated), and there are no analogous examples of such an extreme case of 'oceanization' elsewhere in the world. Thus none of the models can account for both the thin crust in central Baffin Bay and the apparent lack of offset along the Wegener Fault. We suggest two possible solutions to the conflict between the available observations: 1) Tertiary left-lateral motion has reversed earlier right-lateral motion; or 2) left-lateral motion between Greenland and North America was accommodated elsewhere than along the Nares Strait waterway. The first is shown to be in conflict with geological evidence from the margins of Baffin Bay. There is at present no evidence to support the second, but we suggest that this possibility be critically evaluated in future studies of the geological history of the region. In this context, we suggest that minimal offset across the Nares Strait waterway need not be incompatible with major Tertiary left-lateral motion on the Wegener Fault if one accepts the concept of a ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Keen, Charlotte E. Peel, John S. |
spellingShingle |
Keen, Charlotte E. Peel, John S. The geophysical implications of minimal Tertiary motion along Nares Strait |
author_facet |
Keen, Charlotte E. Peel, John S. |
author_sort |
Keen, Charlotte E. |
title |
The geophysical implications of minimal Tertiary motion along Nares Strait |
title_short |
The geophysical implications of minimal Tertiary motion along Nares Strait |
title_full |
The geophysical implications of minimal Tertiary motion along Nares Strait |
title_fullStr |
The geophysical implications of minimal Tertiary motion along Nares Strait |
title_full_unstemmed |
The geophysical implications of minimal Tertiary motion along Nares Strait |
title_sort |
geophysical implications of minimal tertiary motion along nares strait |
publisher |
The Commission for Scientific Research in Greenland /Danish Polar Center |
publishDate |
1982 |
url |
https://tidsskrift.dk/meddrgroenland_geosci/article/view/139584 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(158.167,158.167,-81.450,-81.450) |
geographic |
Baffin Bay Greenland Nares |
geographic_facet |
Baffin Bay Greenland Nares |
genre |
Baffin Bay Baffin Bay Baffin Greenland Nares strait |
genre_facet |
Baffin Bay Baffin Bay Baffin Greenland Nares strait |
op_source |
Meddelelser om Grønland. Geoscience; Vol. 8 (1982): Meddelelser om Grønland. Geoscience; 327-337 Meddelelser om Grønland. Geoscience; Årg. 8 (1982): Meddelelser om Grønland, Geoscience; 327-337 1600-4590 0106-1046 10.7146/moggeosci.v8i |
op_relation |
https://tidsskrift.dk/meddrgroenland_geosci/article/view/139584/183601 https://tidsskrift.dk/meddrgroenland_geosci/article/view/139584 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.7146/moggeosci.v8i |
container_title |
Meddelelser om Grønland. Geoscience |
container_volume |
8 |
_version_ |
1789330405172707328 |