Regional distribution of volcanism within the North Atlantic Igneous Province

Abstract

AbstractAn overview of the distribution of volcanic facies units was compiled over the North Atlantic region. The new maps establish the pattern of volcanism associated with breakup and the initiation of seafloor spreading over the main part of the North Atlantic Igneous Province (NAIP). The maps include new analysis of the Faroe–Shetlands region that allows for a consistent volcanic facies map to be constructed over the entire eastern margin of the North Atlantic for the first time. A key result is that the various conjugate margin segments show a number of asymmetric patterns that are interpreted to result in part from pre-existing crustal and lithospheric structures. The compilation further shows that while the lateral extent of volcanism extends equally far to the south of the Iceland hot spot as it does to the north, the volume of material emplaced to the south is nearly double of that to the north. This suggests that a possible southward deflection of the Iceland mantle plume is a long-lived phenomenon originating during or shortly after impact of the plume.