Tertiary development of the Faeroe-Rockall Plateau based on reflection seismic data

Abstract

The Faeroe-Rockall Plateau is located in the NE Atlantic Ocean between Iceland and Scotland and is characterized by a late Paleocene-early Eocene basalt cover, which was extruded in association with the incipient opening of the NE Atlantic. The Faeroe-Rockall Plateau is separated from the NW European continental shelf by the Rockall Trough and the Faeroe­Shetland Channel, whose nature and age is still debated. Reflector configuration within the basalt allows volcanic seismic facies inteipretation to be carried out. The thickness of the basalt cover is estimated from reflection seismic data. Subbasalt geological structures are identified below subaerially extruded basalt on recently acquired as well as reprocessed seismic profiles. Overlying the basalt are early Eocene and younger Sediments. The distribution of these sedi- . ments is largely controlled by 1) the topography after the cessation of the volcanism, 2) the post volcanic subsidence of the area which is estimated from the depth to the breakpoints located on prim¥)' volcanic escaipments, 3) the Eocene-Miocene compressional tectonics which formed ridge& and minor basins, and 4) bottom currents of Norwegian Sea Deep Water (NSDW) which in the Neogene flowed into the North Atlantic south of the Greenland-Iceland-Faeroe-Scotland Ridg,e. A considerable part of the NSDW flows east and south of th