Structural configuration and tectonics of the Flemish Cap, offshore Newfoundland, from newly acquired seismic reflection data

Abstract

Although the Flemish Cap played a pivotal role in the opening of the North Atlantic, the tectonic history of this continental ribbon has been poorly constrained owing to insufficient seismic coverage. In this study, we present 13 newly acquired seismic reflection profiles over the Flemish Cap, on which seismic reflectors show highly variable seismic facies both on and beneath the top acoustic basement, with exceptional imaging of layered crustal structure. The upper crust is primarily characterized by transparent, chaotic amplitude reflectivity. The lower crust, particularly on the flanks of the cap, exhibits relatively bright and coherent reflection packages interpreted as Appalachian orogenic fabrics based on onshore–offshore correlations from pre-rift plate reconstructions. Extensional systems within the continental crust of the Flemish Cap record a transitional stage between Paleozoic orogenic collapse and pre-Jurassic rifting. The crustal architecture associated with Mesozoic rifting of the Flemish Cap is also mapped and the interpreted distinct rift domains display along-strike variations. Overall, the complex tectonic history of the Flemish Cap involved dominantly ductile deformation during the Paleozoic orogenic stage, multiple deformation styles (primarily ductile and brittle–ductile) during the orogen-to-rift transitional stage and brittle deformation during the major Jurassic–Cretaceous rifting stage.