Seismic Correlation Increases Understanding of the Paleogene Tectono-stratigraphic Evolution of the North-East Greenland Shelf

The large-scale plate tectonic development during the Cenozoic of the North Atlantic region is well understood, but little is known about the Paleogene tectono-stratigraphic evolution on NE Greenland Shelf. In this abstract we construct a model of the deposition on the NE Greenland Shelf by correlating with the detailed knowledge derived from the western Barents Sea margin. A three-fold subdivision of the defined seismic units is proposed: A pre-drift part with small-scale progradation and infill of topograpic lows; a syn-drift interval dominated by prograding clinforms/wedges extending far into the basin; and a post-drift succession of wide-spread, mostly parallel seismic units with occasional onlaps onto underlying topography. These observations are consistent with the spreading history based on paleomagnetic data. Especially the rapid divergent relative plate motion observed at Chron 22 (49.7 Ma) corresponds well with the observed progradational units at this time on both conjugate margins.