Geodynamic generation of a Paleocene-Eocene landscape buried beneath North Bressay, North Sea
File(s)jgs2022-063.pdf (7.88 MB)
Published version
Author(s)
Roberts, Gareth
Stucky De Quay, Gaia
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Histories of vertical lithospheric motions provide important clues about geodynamic processes. We present evidence of an ancient (∼58–55 Ma) landscape that likely uplifted and subsided rapidly during incipience of the Icelandic plume. Now buried beneath ∼0.4–0.8 km of rock in the North Bressay region in the North Sea, this landscape is located within a sedimentary basin on the margin of the North Atlantic Ocean. We use high-resolution 3D seismic reflection data to map this ancient surface. Correlation of stratigraphy with a survey in the Bressay region constrains age and depositional environment. The landscape contains excellent evidence of meandering fluvial channels, some of which record avulsions, and terminate against a coastline to the east where deltaic landforms are identified. The landscape was depth-converted and decompacted to generate a digital elevation model from which river profiles were extracted. Their geometries indicate that the landscape was generated by three phases of uplift. This history of uplift and subsidence is analogous to similar-aged landscapes in the Judd area ∼400 km to the west and Bressay ∼30 km to the south, and appears to be another manifestation of lithospheric motions generated by the passage of warm thermal anomalies away from the Icelandic plume.
Date Issued
2022-08-24
Date Acceptance
2022-08-16
Citation
Journal of the Geological Society, 2022, 180, pp.1-10
ISSN
0016-7649
Publisher
The Geological Society
Start Page
1
End Page
10
Journal / Book Title
Journal of the Geological Society
Volume
180
Copyright Statement
© 2022 The Author(s). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative
Commons Attribution 4.0 License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Published by The
Geological Society of London. Publishing disclaimer: www.geolsoc.org.uk/pub_ethics
Commons Attribution 4.0 License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Published by The
Geological Society of London. Publishing disclaimer: www.geolsoc.org.uk/pub_ethics
License URL
Identifier
https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/jgs/article/doi/10.1144/jgs2022-063/616462/Geodynamic-generation-of-a-Paleocene-Eocene
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2022-08-24