EGU2020-17894
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-17894
EGU General Assembly 2020
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Stress and deformation analysis in the Norwegian Barents Sea in relation to Paleogene transpression along the Greenland-Eurasia plate boundary

Sebastien Gac1, Alexander Minakov1, Grace E. Shephard1, Jan Inge Faleide1,2,3, and Sverre Planke1,2,4
Sebastien Gac et al.
  • 1Centre for Earth Evolution and Dynamics (CEED), Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, 0316 Oslo, Norway
  • 2Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, 0316 Oslo, Norway
  • 3Research Centre for Arctic Petroleum Exploration (ARCEx), University of Tromsø, 9010 Tromsø, Norway
  • 4Volcanic Basin Petroleum Research AS, 0349 Oslo, Norway

Cenozoic small-scale contractional structures are widespread in the Norwegian (west) and Russian (east) Barents Sea. While the exact dating of the deformation is unclear, it can only be inferred that the contraction is younger than the early Cretaceous. One likely contractional mechanism is related to Greenland plate kinematics at Paleogene times. We use a thin plate finite element modelling approach to compute stresses and deformation within the Norwegian Barents Sea in response to the Greenland-Eurasia relative motions at Paleogene times. The analytical solution for the 3-D folding of sediments above basement faults is used to assess possibilities for folding. Two existing Greenland plate kinematic models, differing slightly in the timing, magnitude and direction of motion, are tested. Results show that the Greenland plate’s general northward motion promotes growing anticlines in the Norwegian Barents shelf. Folding is more likely in the northern Norwegian Barents Sea than in the south. Folding is correlated with the Greenland plate kinematics through time: model M2 predicts a main phase of contraction at earliest Eocene while model M1 predicts contraction a bit later in the Eocene. Both models successfully explain folding above NW-SW Timanian trended faults in the southern Norwegian Barents Sea and above SSW-NNE Caledonian-trended faults in the north. We conclude that Paleogene Greenland plate kinematics are a likely candidate to explain contractional structures in the Norwegian Barents Sea.

How to cite: Gac, S., Minakov, A., Shephard, G. E., Faleide, J. I., and Planke, S.: Stress and deformation analysis in the Norwegian Barents Sea in relation to Paleogene transpression along the Greenland-Eurasia plate boundary, EGU General Assembly 2020, Online, 4–8 May 2020, EGU2020-17894, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-17894, 2020

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