Sediment stratigraphy of the Nansen Basin, Arctic Ocean and characterization of the ultraslow-spreading oceanic crust

Abstract:

The Nansen Basin is the southern part of the Eurasia Basin in the Arctic Ocean. Opening of the Eurasia Basin started here with the tear-off of the continental Lomonossov ridge. Here we present a couple of multichannel reflection seismic lines, covering an area from the Barents Shelf to 83.2 deg N. The profiles extend for about 275 km and 170 km, respectively from the Barents Sea margin (Hinlopen margin) into northern direction and cover together ~300 km of oceanic crust on two parallel lines. One connecting profile was acquired on oceanic crust crossing anomaly C23 (~50-52 Ma). The data were acquired during ice-free conditions and reveal for the first time the architecture of the oldest sediments deposited on the oceanic crust. We discuss the seismic facies of the oldest sediments on the oceanic crust and determine their age by correlation of onlap contacts onto oceanic crust with well defined magnetic anomalies. The lowermost sedimentary unit can be subdivided by at least one more prominent seismic reflector in the distal part of the Nansen Basin and two more seismic reflectors in the proximal part. Furthermore we present images and interpretations of oceanic crust formed at the ultraslow-spreading Gakkel ridge (< 20 mm yr^-1 full rate). We discuss the basement morphology, volcanic cones and major faults, bounding horsts and grabens in the light of our present understanding of melt-poor ultraslow-spreading ridges.