Spatial Distribution of Trap Types Relative to the Regional Structural Framework, Baffin Bay, Offshore Greenland

The Baffin Bay area offshore northwest Greenland represents a vast frontier exploration province. The aim of this work has been to create a new structural elements map for the region and assess the spatial distribution of trapping styles within a more detailed framework. The assessment was carried out using a large TGS 2D seismic database (>200,000 km2) acquired between 2007 and 2010 and associated gravity and magnetic data. The main basins in the area are the Melville Bay Basin and Kivioq Basin. In these basins and surrounding areas five distinct trap styles comprise the majority of closures. The trap styles include 1) Tilted fault blocks associated with Cretaceous to Palaeocene rifting. 2) Anticlines formed through differential compaction situated over basement highs. 3) Anticlinal closures formed through regional compression during Palaeogene uplift and localized compression in hangingwall fault blocks. 4) Hangingwall anticlines formed during Palaeogene inversion of normal fault blocks. 5) Stratigraphic traps comprising fans and pinchouts. More than 80 closures have been identified from a high level screening within Cretaceous to Palaeogene levels. The structural style, interpreted age of formation and areal extent of the mapped closures is reviewed.