Concerning tectonics and the tectonic evolution of the Arctic1

Abstract

Abstract The particularities of the current tectonic structure of the Russian part of the Arctic region are discussed with the division into the Barents–Kara and Laptev–Chukchi continental margins. We demonstrate new geological data for the key structures of the Arctic, which are analyzed with consideration of new geophysical data (gravitational and magnetic), including first seismic tomography models for the Arctic. Special attention is given to the New Siberian Islands block, which includes the De Long Islands, where field work took place in 2011. Based on the analysis of the tectonic structure of key units, of new geological and geophysical information and our paleomagnetic data for these units, we considered a series of paleogeodynamic reconstructions for the arctic structures from Late Precambrian to Late Paleozoic. This paper develops the ideas of L.P. Zonenshain and L.M. Natapov on the Precambrian Arctida paleocontinent. We consider its evolution during the Late Precambrian and the entire Paleozoic and conclude that the blocks that parted in the Late Precambrian (Svalbard, Kara, New Siberian, etc.) formed a Late Paleozoic subcontinent, Arctida II, which again “sutured” the continental masses of Laurentia, Siberia, and Baltica, this time, within Pangea.