A forward stratigraphic model of the Cenozoic multi-source-to-sink system in the Barents Sea, Norwegian Arctic

Reconstructing sedimentation derived from multiple source areas is complex in terms of timing and lateral variability. Moreover, untangling sediment transport and deposition in a relatively mobile plate margin is even more challenging. Here, we present results from a forward stratigraphic modelling technique that has been used to simulate basin filling of the Cenozoic succession in the Barents Sea, a tectonically active area that may have received sediments from mainland Norway, the Barents Sea shelf, and NE Greenland. We have included parameters related to tectonics and climate, and the results have been calibrated with seismic and well data. Sensitivity analyses have been performed to test different paleobathymetric reconstructions, as the study area comprises both a moving plate boundary and variable sediment source directions and fluxes.

The Cenozoic evolution of the Barents Sea shelf is strongly linked to the breakup between the Greenland and the Eurasian plates at c. 55 Ma, which led to the development of local highs and basins along the margins of the Barents Sea. This configuration resulted in the deposition of progradational wedges and submarine fans (c. 40 Ma) in the basins including the Sørvestsnaget Basin. Subsequent plate reorganization caused a renewed shelf uplift (c. 33 Ma) and opening of the Fram Strait gateway (c. 17 Ma) affected the sedimentary processes and deposits (including the introduction of contourites) in the sink, observable in seismic and borehole data. A major increase in sediment supply resulting from glacial erosion in the past 3 Myr is reflected in the deposition of several >3 km-thick trough mouth fans along the continental margin. We present ongoing work and discuss the importance of different factors controlling stratigraphic variability in basins filled by multiple source areas.