Offshore bedrock geology of Eclipse Sound and Pond Inlet: connecting the structure and stratigraphy of Bylot and northern Baffin islands

Abstract

Understanding the Mesoproterozoic and younger structural history of the Eclipse Sound/Pond Inlet area is essential for the interpretation of its Archean to Paleoproterozoic geological history and could have important implications for mineral and petroleum exploration models in the northern Baffin Bay area. The identification of potentially active faults is critical for understanding possible earthquake-related hazards in the area. The integrated interpretation of 1970s-vintage marine seismic data with hill-shaded bathymetry, aeromagnetic data, and onshore geology maps has facilitated the identification of probable Mesoproterozoic (Bylot Supergroup) to Holocene strata on and below the sea floor and a suite of episodically reactivated northwest-striking horst- and graben-bounding normal faults and fault zones. Fault displacement likely occurred during the development of the Mesoproterozoic Borden basin and the Cretaceous–Paleogene opening of Baffin Bay, and in some cases may continue today. Some faults become more west-trending toward the south, which requires parts of these faults to have intermittently accommodated transtensional and (or) transpressional motion, possibly explaining local folds and out-of-graben thrusting. Numerous previously unrecognised faults have been documented, with faults beneath Eclipse Sound (Eclipse Trough) spaced at 5 to 7 km intervals, and at least one fault zone (Cape Hay Fault Zone) that appears to be at least 250 km in length, suggesting faults of similar spacing and scale may be present under Baffin Bay. This study uses a multi-thematic office-based methodology that inexpensively, and with little environmental impact, facilitates the mapping of structures that intersect the sea floor in areas where glaciers have exposed bedrock.