The Arctic Ocean

684 Pages·1981·26.39 MB·English

by  Michael Churkin Jr.

THE OCEAN BASINS
ANDMARGINS
Volume 5
The Arctic Ocean
THE OCEAN DASINS AND MARGINS
Volume 1 : The South Atlantic
Volume 2: The North Atlantic
Volume 3: The Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean
Volume 4A: The Eastern Mediterranean
Volume 4B: The Western Mediterranean
Volume 5: The Arctic Ocean
In Preparation:
Volume 6: The Indian Ocean
Volume 7: The Pacific Ocean
THE OCEAN DASINS
ANDMARGINS
Edited by
Alan E.M. Nairn
Department oj Geology
University oj South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
Michael Churkin, Jr.
U.S. Geological Survey
Menlo Park, California
and
Francis G. Stehli
University oj Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Volume 5
The Arctic Ocean
SPRINGER SCIENCE+BUSINESS MEDIA, LLC
Library of Congress Cataloging in ~ublication Data
Nairn, A E M
The ocean basins and margins.
Includes bibliographies.
CONTENTS: v. 1. The South Atlantic.-v. 2. The North Atlantic.-v. 3. The Gulf of
Mexico and the Caribbean.-v. 4A. The eastern Mediterranean.-v. 4B. The western
Mediterranean.-v. 5. The Arctic Ocean.
1. Submarine geology. 2. Continental margins. I. Stehli, Francis Greenough, joint
author. II. Churkin, Michael, 1932- 111. Title.
QE39.N27 551.4'608 72-83046
ISBN 978-1-4757-1250-6 ISBN 978-1-4757-1248-3 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-4757-1248-3
Additional material to this book can be downloaded from http://extras.springer.com
© 1981 Springer Science+Business Media New York
Originally published by Plenum Publishing Corporation in 1981
Softcover reprint of the bardeover 1st edition 1981
All righ ts reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted,
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfllming,
recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher
CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS VOLUME
K. Birkenmajer J. Thomas Dutro, J r.
Institute of Geology U .S. Geological Survey
Polish Academy of Seiences Washington, D.C.
Cracow, Po land
Stephen Eittreim
and Institute of Historical Geology
U .S. Geological Survey
and Paleontology
Menlo Park, California
Copenhagen, Denmark
R. H. Feden
Claire Carter
Naval Research Laboratory
U .S. Geological Survey Washington, D.C.
Menlo Park, California
H. S. Fleming
N. Z. Cherkis
Naval Research Laboratory
Naval Research Laboratory
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Artbur Grantz
Michael Churkin, Jr.
U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Geological Survey
Menlo Park, California
Menlo Park, California
J. Wm. Kerr
David L. Clark
J. Wm. Kerr and Associates
Department of Geology and
Calgary, Canada
Geophysics
University of Wisconsin (Formerly Geological Survey of
Canada, Calgary, Canada)
Madison, Wisconsin
Peter R. Dawes Y. A. Kosygin
Geological Survey of Greenland Institute of Teetonics and Geophysics
Copenhagen, Denmark Khabarovsk, USSR
V
vi Contributors
D. K. Norris George Soleimani
Geological Survey of Canada U .S. Geological Survey
Calgary, Alberta, Canada Menlo Park, California
L. M. Parfenov S. M. Til'man
Institute of Teetonics and Geophysics Northeast USSR Scientific Research
Khabarovsk, USSR Institute
Siberian Division, Academy of
John S. Peel
Seiences of the USSR
Geological Survey of Greenland
Magadan, USSR
Copenhagen, Denmark
James H. Trexler, Jr.
R. K. Perry
U.S. Geological Survey
Naval Research Laboratory Menlo Park, California
Washington, D.C.
P. R. Vogt
Rhoda Robinson Naval Research Laboratory
U.S. Geological Survey Washington, D.C.
Menlo Park, California Olive T. Whitney
N. A. Shilo U.S. Geological Survey
Northeast USSR Scientific Research Menlo Park, California
Institute C. J. Yorath
Siberian Division, Academy of Geological Survey of Canada
Seiences of the USSR Vancouver, British Columbia,
Magadan, USSR Canada
CONTENTS
Chapter 1. Contineotal Plates and Accreted Oceanic
Terranes in the Arctic
Michael Churkin, Jr., and James H. Trexler, Jr.
I. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . l
II. Tectonostratigraphic Terranes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
111. Relations between Terranes................. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
IV. Review of Paleomagnetic Data.............................. 13
V. Discussion ...............................................· 14
VI. Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Chapter 2. Geology of Alaska Bordering the Arctic Ocean
J. Thomas Dutro, Jr.
I. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
II. Analysis of Depositional Episodes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
111. Orogenie History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
IV. Hypothesis of Arctic Plate Movement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
V. Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Chapter 3. The North American Plate from the Arctic Archipelago to
the Romanzof Mountains
D. K. Norris and C. J. Yorath
I. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
II. Stratigraphie Succession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
yjj
viii Contents
A. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
B. The Inuvikian Sequence (I) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
C. The Franklinian Sequence (F) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
D. The Ellesmerian Sequence (E) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
E. The Brookian Sequence (B) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
111. Teetonic Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
A. Geotectonic Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
B. Geotectonic Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
C. Teetonic Synthesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
IV. Relationship of the Canada Basin to the American Plate . . . . . . . . 90
A. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
B. Geophysical Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
C. Geological Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
V. Concluding Remarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Chapter 4. Evolution of the Canadian Arctic Islands: A Transition
between the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans
J. Wm. Kerr
I. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
A. Geographie Limits of Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
B. Objectives and Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
C. Relationship of Sequences to Major Geological Provinces. . . . 106
II. Constructional Phase: Evolution of the Continent as a
Substructure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
A. Sequence 1: Precambrian Crystalline Basement . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
B. Innuitian Mobile Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
C. Sequence 2: Proterozoic Basins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
D. Sequence 3: Late Proterozoic to Late Devonian . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
E. Sequence 3: Simple Evolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
F. Pearya Geanticline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
G. Ellesmerian Orogeny, Unobstructed Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
H. Basement Uplifts Affecting Sequence 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
I. Sequence 3: Obstructed Evolution .......... , . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
J. Continent as a Substructure Prior to Ocean Development . . . . 140
111. Fragmentation Phase: Evolution of the Ocean Basins and
Branches within the Continent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
A. Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
B. Boreal Rifting Episode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
C. Sequence 4: Mid-Mississippian (Visean) to Early Cretaceous
(Pre-Isachsen Formation). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
D. Sequence 5: Ear1y Early Cretaceous (Valanginian) to Late
Cretaceous (CampanianjMaastrichtian) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Contents ix
E. Connecting of Oceans by the Canadian Arctic Rift System . . . 153
F. Sequence 6: Late Cretaceous (CampanianjMaastrichtian) to
Mid-Tertiary (Miocene) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
G. Plate Reconstructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
H. Eurekan Deformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
I. Sequence 6: Penetration of the Continent by Rifting . . . . . . . . 169
J. Sequence 7: (Miocene) Severing ofthe Continent by Rifting.. 178
K. Sequence 8: Mid-Tertiary (Post-Miocene) to Present-Day
Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
L. Mineral and Petroleum Deposits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
IV. Summary and Discussion................................... 187
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Chapter 5. The Northern Margin of Greenland from Baffin Bay to the
Greenland Sea
Peter R. Dawes and John S. Peel
I. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
II. Regional Geological Outline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
A. Physiography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
B. Geological Provinces and Subprovinces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
C. Sedimentary and Structural Model....................... 204
111. The Precambrian Shield... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
A. lntroduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
B. North-West Greenland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
C. Centrat N orth Greenland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
D. Eastern North Greenland and North-East Greenland........ 209
IV. The North Greenland Platform.............................. 211
A. lntroduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
B. Proterozoic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
C. Lower Paleozoic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
V. The North Greenland Foldbelt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
A. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
B. Geosynclinal Sedimentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
C. Structure and Metamorphism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
D. Age of Orogenesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
VI. The East Greenland F oldbelt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
A. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
B. Southern Part, 70° to 76°N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
C. Northern Part, 76° to 8rN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
VII. Late Cretaceous-Early Tertiary Acid Volcanic Suite............ 230
VIII. The Wandel Sea Basin..................................... 231
A. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231