The formation of rifted continental margins by extension of continental lithosphere leading to seafloor spreading is a complex and still poorly understood component of the plate tectonic cycle. New observations and modelling allow us to investigate the underlying processes. Key questions that need to be resolved are factors that control the style of extension, the role of strain localisation and strain partitioning throughout the rift history, processes responsible for anomalous vertical motions during basin evolution such as phase changes or small scale convective instability of the mantle lithosphere, fundamental controls on the magmatic or a-magmatic nature of passive margins. For instance on volcanic margins the relative timing of extension and magmatism, the origin of excess magmatism during breakup, and its role for lithosphere rheology need further understanding. On magma-poor margins it is still unclear what controls the absence of magmatism. Many rift basins appear to be characterized by anomalous subsidence patterns in the late syn-rift and post rift history. We encourage abstracts that offer new insights into large-scale crustal and lithospheric processes underlying rifting and passive margin formation as well as smaller scale studies of individual sedimentary basins, using constraints from observations and modelling.

Invited keynote speakers:
Roger Buck: Low angel normal faults and rift basin development

Stewart Fiswick: Seismological constraints on lithospheric structure beneath rifted margins

Sue O'Reilly: Petrological constraints on mantle lithosphere recycling at rifted margins

Jan Inge Faleide: Structure and degree of magmatism on North and South Atlantic volcanic and non-volcanic rifted margins