Late Paleogene Submarine Fans in Baffin Bay and North-West Greenland

Results from seismic mapping on the NW Greenland margin and Baffin Bay demonstrates the presence of submarine fan lobes formed in elongate graben and rift basins. Fan deposition commenced during late Eocene and possibly into Oligocene, presumably as a consequence of major tectonic activity in the source region, linked to the Eurekan Orogeny. The largest of the fan lobes extends for more than 300 km through the Melville Bay Graben and attains thickness up to about 1.3 km below the main boundary fault. Seismic geometries displaying elements of channels and central mounds, points to sand transport through the graben axis and hence a strong potential for reservoir development. On the Greenland shelf margin the lobes are generally located at burial depths between 1.5 and 4 km favorable for petroleum maturation and exploration.