Abstract
The eastern Canadian margins were formed by northward propagating continental rifting and opening of the Atlantic Ocean. Rifting south of the Grand Banks began around 200 Ma ago, separating North America from Africa. More complex rifting, east and north of the Grand Banks, resulted in separation from Iberia and Europe around 120 Ma. Rifting subsequently propagated northward, between Labrador and Greenland, where sea floor spreading continued up to about 36 Ma. The structures of these margins are diverse, reflecting the differing ages and modes of formation. The rifted margins south of the Grand Banks are 150–200 km wide with over 15 km of sediment in some areas. The transform margins of the Grand Banks and Flemish Cap are narrower, the margin northeast of Newfoundland produced the 500 km-wide extensional Orphan Basin, and the younger rifted margins to the north are narrower with less sediment than those to the south.
Keywords
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Beaumont, C, Keen, C. E., and Boutilier, R.: 1982, ‘On the Evolution of Rifted Continental Margins: Comparison of Models and Observations for the Nova Scotia Margin’, Geophys. J. Roy. Astron. Soc 70. 667–716.
Dawes, P. R., and Kerr, J. W. (eds.): 1982, ‘Nares Strait and the Drift of Greenland — A Conflict in Plate Tectonics’, Geoscience 8, 386 p.
Keen, C. E.: 1988, ‘The Mode of Lithospheric Extension Determined from Crustal Studies across Rift Basins’, in AGU Geodynamics Series (in press).
Keen, C. E., Loncarevic, B. D., Reid, I., Woodside, J., Haworth, R. T., and Williams, H.: 1988, ‘Tectonic and Geophysical Overview’, in M. J. Keen and G. L. Williams (eds.), Geology of the Continental Margins off Eastern Canada. Geology of Canada Ser., Vol. 2, Geological Survey of Canada, (in press).
LASE Study Group: 1986, ‘Deep Structure of the US East Coast Passive Margin from Large Aperture Seismic Experiments (LASE)’, Mar. Petr. Geol 3, 234–240.
McWhae, J. R. H.: 1981, ‘Structure and Spreading History of the Northwestern Atlantic Region from the Scotian Shelf to Baffin Bay’, in J. W. Kerr and A. J. Fergusson (eds.) Geology of the North Atlantic Borderlands: Can. Soc. Petr. Geol. Memoir 7, 299–332.
Royden, L., and Keen, C. E.: 1980, ‘Riftimg Process and Thermal Evolution of the Continental Margin of Eastern Canada Determined from Subsidence Curves’, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 51, 343–361.
Strivastava, S. P., and Tapscott, C. R.: 1986, ‘Plate Kinematics of the North Atlantic’, in P. R. Vogt and B. E. Tucholke (eds.) The Geology of North America. Volume M. The Western North Atlantic Region. Geological Society of America, pp. 379–404.
Todd, B. J., Reid, I., and Keen, C. E.: 1988: ‘Crustal Structure across the Southwest Newfoundland Transform Margin’, Can. J. Earth Sci., in press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1989 Kluwer Academic Publishers
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Reid, I. (1989). Structure and Origin of the Passive Continental Margins of Eastern Canada. In: Earthquakes at North-Atlantic Passive Margins: Neotectonics and Postglacial Rebound. NATO ASI Series, vol 266. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-2311-9_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-2311-9_4
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-010-7538-1
Online ISBN: 978-94-009-2311-9
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive