Evolution of North Atlantic Passive Margins Controlled by the Iceland Mantle Plume

Abstract:

Evolution of North Atlantic passive margins has been profoundly influenced by the Iceland mantle plume over the past 60 Ma. Residual depth anomalies of oceanic lithosphere, long wavelength gravity anomalies and seismic tomographic models show that upwelling mantle material extends from Baffin Bay to Western Norway. At fringing passive margins such as Northwest Scotland, there is evidence for present-day dynamic support of the crust. The Iceland plume is bisected by the Reykjanes Ridge ridge, which acts as a tape-recorder of the temporal variability of the plume. We present regional seismic reflection profiles that traverse the oceanic basin between northwest Europe and Greenland. A diachronous pattern of V-shaped ridges and troughs are imaged beneath marine sediments, revealing a complete record of transient periodicity that can be traced continuously back to ~55 Myrs. This periodicity increases from ~3 to ~8 Ma with clear evidence for minor, but systematic, asymmetric crustal accretion. V-shaped ridges grow with time and reflect small (5–30°C) changes in mantle temperature, consistent with episodic generation of hot solitary waves triggered by growth of thermal boundary layer instabilities within the mantle. Our continuous record of convective activity suggests that the otherwise uniform thermal subsidence of sedimentary basins, which fringe the North Atlantic Ocean, has been punctuated by periods of variable dynamic topography. This record can explain a set of diverse observations from the geologic record. Paleogene unconformities in the Faroe-Shetland Basin, the punctuated deposition of contourite drifts and variations in deep-water current strength can all be explained by transient mantle plume behavior. These signals of convective activity should lead to improved insights into the fluid dynamics of the mantle, and into the evolution of volcanic passive margins.