Wrona, ThiloThiloWronaWhittaker, Alexander CAlexander CWhittakerBell, Rebecca ERebecca EBellGawthorpe, Robert LRobert LGawthorpeFossen, HaakonHaakonFossenJackson, Christopher A-LChristopher A-LJacksonBauck, Marit StokkeMarit StokkeBauck2023-02-202023-02-202023-04Basin Research, 2023, 35 (2), pp.744-7610950-091Xhttp://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/101885Our understanding of continental rifting is, in large parts, derived from the stratigraphic record. This record is, however, incomplete as it does not often capture the geomorphic and erosional signal of rifting. New 3D seismic reflection data reveal a Late Permian-Early Triassic landscape incised into the pre-rift basement of the northern North Sea. This landscape, which covers at least 542 km2, preserves a drainage system bound by two major tectonic faults. A quantitative geomorphic analysis of the drainage system reveals 68 catchments, with channel steepness and knickpoint analysis of catchment-hosted palaeo-rivers showing that the landscape preserved a >2 Myr long period of transient tectonics. We interpret that this landscape records a punctuated uplift of the footwall of a major rift-related normal fault (Vette Fault) at the onset of rifting. The landscape was preserved by a combination of relatively rapid subsidence in the hangingwall of a younger fault (Øygarden Fault) and burial by post-incision sediments. As such, we show how and why erosional landscapes are preserved in the stratigraphic record, and how they can help us understand the tectono-stratigraphic evolution of ancient continental rifts.© 2022 The Authors. Basin Research published by International Association of Sedimentologists and European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.CONSTRAINTSdrainage systemEVOLUTIONfault growthGeologygeomorphologyGeosciences, MultidisciplinaryNorth SeaPhysical SciencesPROFILESREGIONRIVERScience & Technologyseismic reflection dataSYNRIFTTECTONICStransient tectonicsUPLIFTJournal Articlehttps://www.dx.doi.org/10.1111/bre.12732https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bre.127321365-2117