History of Tertiary igneous activity in the N Atlantic borderlands

B. G. J. Upton
Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 39, 429-453, 1 January 1988, https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.SP.1988.039.01.38

Summary

Stretching and thinning of the Laurasian continental lithosphere, which had proceeded intermittently from late Palaeozoic through the Mesozoic, reached a climax in early Tertiary times with copious generation of basalt magma, invasion of the attenuated crust as dyke swarms and surface eruption, principally by fissure volcanism. Continued basin subsidence allowed basaltic lavas, erupted at near sea-level, to accumulate to thicknesses which in places (e.g. W Greenland, E Greenland, Faeroes) attained several kilometres. In some zones dyke-swarm injection and crustal attenuation led to sea floor spreading and generation of ocean crust. Fissure swarms not infrequently changed position so that there could be one or more ‘unsuccessful’ rifting events prior to establishment of a ‘successful’ spreading axis.

While some uncertainty still exists regarding the precise timing of the onset of magmatism in the various zones of failure, the bulk occurred between 60 and 50 Ma. Across the British Isles basalt magmatism occurred early (ca. 60-59 Ma) whereas the great volumes of the E Greenland basalts appear to have erupted rapidly over the interval 54-52 Ma. The onset of magmatism in the Faeroes may have preceded that in E Greenland and possibly that of W Greenland-Baffin Island.

Major sill swarms developed, commonly within the Mesozoic sedimentary strata. At favoured channels for magma ascent, commonly controlled by major faults, longer-lived central-vent volcanoes developed. Slow cooling of large magma bodies at such foci produced mafic and ultramafic cumulates; production of salic magmas was mainly confined to these central complexes, the majority of which are located close to the E Greenland coast between ca. 66° and 74°N and a N-S zone through the British Isles from ca. 58°-51°N. Although the salic magmas were predominantly silicic (rhyolitic), feldspathoidal (phonolitic) magmas were important in some of the E Greenland centres. Generation of salic magmas was generally late with respect to the main phases of basalt eruption in the various sectors of activity. However, notable sequences of peraluminous silicic lavas may have preceded basaltic eruption in the Rockall Trough and Vøring Plateau areas. It is probable that magmatic activity in some of the sectors that had experienced the most intense early-phase volcanism persisted, on a small-scale, long after the sea floor spreading had been initiated and activity on the passive margins of both W and E Greenland may not have finally terminated until ca. 30 Ma.

The total compositional range of early Tertiary magmas associated with the N Atlantic marginal regions was extensive. Whereas tholeiites, varying from FeTi-rich to N-type MORB, were erupted in greatest volume, compositions varied from picrites, through tholeiites to ferro-basalts, icelandites, dacites and rhyolites. More alkalic mafic magmas included alkali olivine-basalt (and its differentiated products), nephelinites, lamprophyres and melilitites, with some associated carbonatites. Salic magmas ranged widely from silicic to feldspathoidal and from peraluminous to peralkaline.

References

    1. Abrahamsen N.,
    2. Schoenharting G.,
    3. Heinesen M.
    (1984) in The deep drilling project 1980–1981 in the Faeroe Islands, Palaeomagnetism of the Vestmanna core and magnetic age and evolution of the Faeroe Islands, eds Berthelsen O., Noe-Nygaard A., Rasmussen J. (Føroya Frodskaparfelag, Torshavn), pp 93–108.
    1. Anderson F. W.,
    2. Dunham K. C.
    (1966) The geology of Northern Skye, Memoir of the Geological Survey of Great Britain.
    1. Athavale R. N.,
    2. Sharma P. V.
    (1975) Palaeomagnetic results on early Tertiary lava flows from West Greenland and their bearing on the evolution history of the Baffin Bay-Labrador Sea region. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 12:1–18.
    OpenUrlAbstract
    1. Bearth P.
    (1959) On the alkali massif of the Werner Bjerge in East Greenland. Meddelelser om Grønland 153(4). 62.
    1. Beckinsale R. D.,
    2. Thompson R. N.,
    3. Durham J. J.
    (1974) Petrogenetic significance of initial 87Sr/86Sr Ratios in the North Atlantic Tertiary Igneous Province in the light of Rb-Sr, K-Ar and 18O abundance studies of the Sarqâta qáqâ Intrusive Complex, Ubekendt Island, West Greenland. Journal of Petrology 15:525–538.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Beckinsale R. D.,
    2. Pankhurst R. J.,
    3. Skelhorn R. R.,
    4. Walsh J. N.
    (1978) Geochemistry and petrogenesis of the early Tertiary lava pile of the Isle of Mull, Scotland. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology 66:415–427.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Bell J. D.
    (1982) in Igneous Rocks of the British Isles, Acid intrusions, ed Sutherland D. S. (Wiley & Sons, New York), pp 427–440.
    1. Berggren W. A.,
    2. Kent D. V.,
    3. Flynn J. J.
    (1985) in The chronology of the geological record, Jurassic to Paleogene: Part 2 Paleogene geochronology and chronostratigraphy, Memoir of the Geological Society of London, ed Snelling N. J. 10, pp 141–195.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
    1. Bodvarsson G.,
    2. Walker G. P. L.
    (1964) Crustal drift in Iceland. Geophysical Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society 8:285–300.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
    1. Bott M. H. P.
    (1987) The continental margin of central East Greenland in relation to North Atlantic plate tectonic evolution. Journal of the Geological Society of London 144:561–568.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Bott M. H. P.,
    2. Sunderland J.,
    3. Smith P. J.,
    4. Casten U.,
    5. Saxov S.
    (1974) Evidence for continental crust beneath the Faeroe Islands. Nature 248:202–204.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Bott M. H. P.,
    2. Nielsen P. H.,
    3. Sutherland J.
    (1976) Converted P-waves originating at the continental margin between the Iceland-Faeroe Ridge and the Faeroe Block. Geophysical Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society 44:229–238.
    OpenUrlWeb of Science
    1. Bridgwater D.,
    2. Davies F. B.,
    3. Gill R. C. O.,
    4. Gorman B. E.,
    5. Myers J. S.,
    6. Pedersen S.,
    7. Taylor P.
    (1978) Precambrian and Tertiary geology between Kangerdlugssuaq and Angmagssalik, East Greenland. A preliminary report. Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse Rapport 83. 17.
    1. Bridgwater D.,
    2. Escher A.,
    3. Jackson G. D.,
    4. Taylor F. C.,
    5. Windley B. F.
    Development of the Precambrian Shield in West Greenland, Labrador and Baffin Island. Memoir of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists 19:99–116.
    1. Brooks C. K.
    (1973(a)) Rifting and doming in southern East Greenland. Nature, Physical Sciences 244:23–24.
    OpenUrl
    1. Brooks C. K.
    (1973(b)) The Tertiary of Greenland—a volcanic and plutonic record of continental breakup. Memoir of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists 19:150–160.
    OpenUrl
    1. Brooks C. K.
    (1979) Geomorphological observations at Kangerdlugssuaq, East Greenland. Meddelelser om Grønland, Geoscience 4. 24.
    1. Brooks C. K.,
    2. Gleadow A. J. W.
    (1977) A fission-track age for the Skaergaard intrusion and the age of the East Greenland basalts. Geology 5:539–540.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Brooks C. K.,
    2. Gill R. C. O.
    (1982) Compositional variation in the pyroxenes and amphiboles of the Kangerdlugssuaq intrusion, East Greenland: Further evidence for the crustal contamination of a syenitic magma. Mineralogical Magazine 45:1–9.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Brooks C. K.,
    2. Nielsen T. F. D.
    (1982) The Phanerozoic development of the Kangerdlugssuaq area, East Greenland. Meddelelser om Grønland, Geoscience 9. 30.
    1. Brooks C. K.,
    2. Nielsen T. F. D.
    (1982) The E. Greenland continental margin: a transition between oceanic and continental magmatism. Journal of the Geological Society of London 139:265–275.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Brooks C. K.,
    2. Nielsen T. F. D.,
    3. Petersen T. S.
    (1976) The Blosseville Coast Basalts of East Greenland: their occurrence, composition and temporal variations. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology 58:279–292.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Brooks C. K.,
    2. Pedersen A. K.,
    3. Rex D. C.
    (1979) The petrology and age of alkaline mafic lavas from the nunatak zone of central East Greenland. Bulletin of the Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse 133. 28.
    1. Brooks C. K.,
    2. Pedersen A. K.,
    3. Larsen L. M.,
    4. Engell J.
    (1982) The mineralogy of the Werner Bjerge Complex, East Greenland. Meddelelser om Grønland, Geoscience 7.
    1. Brooks M.
    (1984) in Report of the British Geological Survey, The age of the Conachair Granite, eds Harding R. R., Merriman R. J., Nancarrow R. H. A. St. Kilda: an illustrated account of the geology, 16, 7, pp 40–41.
    OpenUrl
    1. Brown G. M.
    (1982) in Igneous Rocks of the British Isles, Introduction to Part 7: An appraisal of the igneous history, ed Sutherland D. S. (Wiley & Sons, New York), pp 345–350.
    1. Brown P. E.,
    2. Van Breemen O.,
    3. Noble R. H.,
    4. Macintyre R. M.
    (1977) Mid-Tertiary igneous activity in East Greenland—the Kialineq Complex. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology 64:109–122.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Burke K.,
    2. Dewey J. F.
    (1973) Plume-generated triple junctions: key indicators in applying plate tectonics to old rocks. Journal of Geology 81:406–433.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Casten U.
    (1973) The crust beneath the Faeroe Islands. Nature 241:83–84.
    OpenUrl
    1. Casten U.,
    2. Nielsen P. H.
    (1975) Faeroe Islands—a microcontinental fragment? Journal of Geophysics 41:357–366.
    OpenUrl
    1. Clarke D. B.
    (1970) Tertiary Basalts of Baffin Bay: possible primary magma from the mantle. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology 25:203–224.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
    1. Clarke D. B.
    (1977) The Tertiary Volcanic Province of Baffin Bay. Geological Association of Canada, Special Paper 16:445–460.
    OpenUrl
    1. Clarke D. B.,
    2. Pedersen A. K.
    (1976) in Geology of Greenland, Tertiary volcanic province of West Greenland, eds Escher A., Watt W. S. (Geological Survey of Greenland, Copenhagen), pp 365–385.
    1. Clarke D. B.,
    2. Muecke G. K.,
    3. Pe-Piper G.
    (1983) The lamprophyres of Ubekendt Ejland, West Greenland: products of renewed partial melting or extreme differentiation? Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology 83:117–127.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Clarke D. B.,
    2. Upton B. G. J.
    (1971) Tertiary Basalts of Baffin Island: field relations and tectonic setting. Canadian Journal of Earth Science 8:248–258.
    OpenUrlAbstract
    1. Cox K. G.
    (1980) A model for flood basalt vulcanism. Journal of Petrology 21:629–650.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Cox K. G.,
    2. Johnson R. L.,
    3. Monkman L. J.,
    4. Stillman C. J.,
    5. Vail J. R.,
    6. Wood D. N.
    (1965) The geology of the Nuanetsi Igneous Province. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London A257:71–218.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
    1. Curry D.,
    2. Adams C. G.,
    3. Boulter M. C.,
    4. Dilley F. C.,
    5. Eames F. E.,
    6. Funnell B. M.,
    7. Wells M. K.
    (1978) A correlation of Tertiary rocks in the British Isles, Geological Society of London, Special Report, 12. 72.
    1. Deer W. A.
    (1976) in Geology of Greenland, Tertiary igneous rocks between Scoresby Sund and Kap Gustav Holm, East Greenland, eds Escher A., Watt W. S. (Geological Survey of Greenland, Copenhagen), pp 405–429.
    1. Deer W. A.,
    2. Kempe D. R. C.,
    3. Jones G. C.
    (1984) Syenitic and associated intrusions of the Kap Edvard Holm region, Kangerdlugssuaq, East Greenland. Meddelelser om Grønland, Geoscience 12. 26.
    1. Dickin A. P.
    (1981) Isotope geochemistry of Tertiary igneous rocks from the Isle of Skye, N.W. Scotland. Journal of Petrology 22:155–189.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Dickin A. P.,
    2. Jones N. W.
    (1983) Isotopic evidence for the age and origin of pitchstones and felsites, Isle of Eigg, N.W. Scotland. Journal of the Geological Society of London 140:690–700.
    OpenUrl
    1. Durant G. P.,
    2. Dobson M. R.,
    3. Kokelaar B. P.,
    4. Macintyre R. M.,
    5. Rea W. J.
    (1976) Preliminary report on the nature and age of the Blackstones Bank Igneous Centre, western Scotland. Journal of the Geological Society of London 132:319–326.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Eldholm O.
    (1978) in Tectonics and Geophysics of Continental Rifts, Observations on the margin off Norway (66–70°N) and the history of early Cenozoic rifting, eds Ramberg I. B., Neumann E. R. (D. Reidel, Dordrecht), pp 229–239.
    1. Eldholm O.,
    2. Thiede J.,
    3. Taylor E.,
    4. et al.
    (1987) Initial Reports of the Ocean Drilling Program (Part A), Site 642 (US Government Printing Office, Washington), 104, pp 53–213.
    OpenUrl
    1. Elliott G. F.
    (1971) Eocene volcanics in south-east England. Nature, Physical Science 230:9.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
    1. Emeleus C. H.
    (1982) in Igneous Rocks of the British Isles, The central complexes, ed Sutherland D. S. (Wiley & Sons, New York), pp 369–414.
    1. Emeleus C. H.
    (1983) in Geology of Scotland, Tertiary igneous activity, ed Craig G. Y. (Scottish Academic Press, Edinburgh), pp 357–397.
    1. Emeleus C. H.
    (1985) The Tertiary lavas and sediments of northwest Rhum, Inner Hebrides. Geological Magazine 122:419–437.
    OpenUrlAbstract
    1. Emeleus C. H.,
    2. Forster R. M.
    (1979) Tertiary Igneous Rocks of Rhum—Field Guide (Nature Conservancy Council, Newbury).
    1. Emeleus C. H.,
    2. Wadsworth W. J.,
    3. Smith N. J.
    (1985) The early igneous and tectonic history of the Rhum Tertiary volcanic centre. Geological Magazine 12:451–457.
    OpenUrl
    1. Esson J.,
    2. Dunham A. C.,
    3. Thompson R. N.
    (1975) Low alkali, high calcium olivine tholeiite lavas from the Isle of Skye, Scotland. Journal of Petrology 16:488–497.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Fahrig W. F.,
    2. Irving E.,
    3. Jackson G. D.
    (1971) Palaeomagnetism of the Franklin diabases. Canadian Journal of Earth Science 8:455–467.
    OpenUrlAbstract
    1. Fawcett J. J.,
    2. Gittins J.,
    3. Rucklidge
    (1982) Petrology of Tertiary lavas from the western Kangerdlugssuaq area, East Greenland. Mineralogical Magazine 45:211–218.
    OpenUrlWeb of Science
    1. Fitch F. J.,
    2. Hooker P. J.,
    3. Miller J. A.,
    4. Brereton N. R.
    (1978) Glauconite dating of Palaeocene—Eocene rocks from East Kent and the time-scale of Palaeocene volcanism in the North Atlantic region. Journal of the Geological Society of London 135:499–512.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Furlong K. P.,
    2. Fountain D. M.
    (1986) Continental crustal underplating: thermal considerations and seismic-petrological consequences. Journal of Geophysical Research 90:8285–8294.
    OpenUrl
    1. Gatliff R. W.,
    2. Hitchen K.,
    3. Ritchie J. D.,
    4. Smythe D. K.
    (1984) Internal structure of the Erlend volcanic complex, north of Shetland, revealed by seismic reflection. Journal of the Geological Society of London 141:555–562.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Gibb F. G. F.,
    2. Kanaris-Sotiriou R.
    (1988) in Early Tertiary Volcanism and the Opening of the NE Atlantic, The geochemistry and origin of the Faeroe-Shetland sill complex, Geological Society of London, Special Publication, eds Morton A. C., Parson L. M. 39, pp 241–252.
    OpenUrl
    1. Gibb F. G. F.,
    2. Kanaris-Sotiriou R.,
    3. Neves R.
    (1986) A new Tertiary sill complex of mid-ocean ridge basalt type off the Shetland Isles: a preliminary report. Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (Earth Science) 77:223–230.
    OpenUrl
    1. Gibson D.,
    2. McCormick A. G.,
    3. Meighan I. G.,
    4. Halliday A. N.
    (1987) The British Tertiary Igneous Province: Young Rb-Sr ages for the Mourne Mountains Granites. Scottish Journal of Geology 23:221–225.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Gill R. C. O.,
    2. Nielsen T. F. D.,
    3. Brooks C. K.,
    4. Ingram G. A.
    (1988) in Early Tertiary Volcanism and the Opening of the NE Atlantic, Tertiary volcanism in the Kangerdlugssuaq region, E Greenland: trace element geochemistry of the Lower Basalts and tholeiitic dyke swarms, Geological Society of London Special Publication, eds Morton A. C., Parson L. M. 39, pp 161–179.
    OpenUrl
    1. Gleadow A. J. W.,
    2. Brooks C. K.
    (1979) Fission track dating, thermal histories and tectonics of igneous intrusions in East Greenland. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology 71:45–60.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Hald N.
    (1971) An investigation of the igneous rocks on Hareøen and Western Nugssuaq, West Greenland, Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse Rapport, 35.
    1. Hald N.
    (1976) Early Tertiary flood basalts from Hareøen and western Nugssuaq, West Greenland. Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse Bulletin 120. 36.
    1. Hald N.
    (1978) Tertiary igneous activity at Giesecke Bjerge, northern East Greenland. Danske Geologiske Forening, Special Issue 27:109–115.
    OpenUrl
    1. Hald N.,
    2. Waagstein R.
    (1983) in Structure and development of the Greenland-Scotland Ridge, Silicic basalts from the Faeroe Islands: Evidence of crustal contamination, eds Bott M. H. P., Saxov S., Talwani M., Thiede J. (Plenum Press, New York), pp 343–348.
    1. Hald N.,
    2. Waagstein R.
    (1984) in The deep drilling project 1980–1981 in the Faeroe Islands, Lithology and chemistry of a 2 km sequence of Lower Tertiary tholeiitic lavas drilled on Suduroy, Faeroe Islands (Lopra-1), eds Berthelsen O., Noe-Nygaard A., Rasmussen J. (Føroya Frodskaparfelag, Torshavn), pp 15–38.
    1. Hallam A.
    (1971) Mesozoic geology and the opening of the North Atlantic. Journal of Geology 79:129–157.
    OpenUrlWeb of Science
    1. Hallam A.
    (1983) in Geology of Scotland, Jurassic, Cretaceous and Tertiary sediments, ed Craig G. Y. (Scottish Academic Press, Edinburgh), pp 343–356.
    1. Hampton C. M.,
    2. Taylor P. N.
    (1983) The age and nature of the basement of southern Britain: evidence from Sr and Pb isotopes in granites. Journal of the Geological Society of London 140:499–509.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Hansen K.,
    2. Pedersen A. K.
    (1985) Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse Rapport, Report of Activities, 1984, Fission track dating of lower Tertiary rhyolitic glass rocks from Disko, 125, pp 28–30.
    OpenUrl
    1. Henderson G.
    (1973) Earth science symposium on offshore eastern Canada Geological Survey of Canada Paper, 71-23 The geological setting of the West Greenland Basin in the Baffin Bay region, pp 521–544.
    1. Henderson G.,
    2. Rosenkrantz A.,
    3. Schiener E. J.
    (1976) in Geology of Greenland, Cretaceous—Tertiary sedimentary rocks of West Greenland, eds Escher A., Watt W S (Geological Survey of Greenland, Copenhagen), pp 340–362.
    1. Higgins A. C.,
    2. Soper N. J.
    (1981) Cretaceous-Palaeogene sub-basaltic and intrabasaltic sediments of the Kangerdlugssuaq area, Central East Greenland. Geological Magazine 118:337–448.
    OpenUrlAbstract
    1. Hinz K.
    (1981) A hypothesis on terrestrial catastrophes. Wedges of very thick oceanward dipping layers beneath passive continental margins—their origin and palaeoenvironmental significance. Geologisches Jahrbuch E22:3–28.
    OpenUrlPubMed
    1. Holmes A.
    (1918) The basaltic rocks of the Arctic region. Mineralogical Magazine 18:180–223.
    OpenUrl
    1. Horne R. R.,
    2. Macintyre R. M.
    (1975) Scientific Proceedings of the Royal Dublin Society Apparent age and significance of Tertiary dykes in the Dingle Peninsula, S.W. Ireland, A5, pp 293–299.
    1. Jacque M.,
    2. Thouvenin J.
    (1975) in Petroleum and the continental shelf of North West Europe, (Vol. 1: Geology), Lower Tertiary tuffs and volcanic activity in the North Sea, ed Woodland A. W. (Applied Science Publishers, London), pp 455–465.
    1. Jones E. J. W.,
    2. Ramsay A. T. S.
    (1982) Volcanic ash deposits of early Eocene age from the Rockall Trough. Nature 299:342–344.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
    1. Kapp H.
    (1960) Zur petrologie der subvolkane zwischen Mesters Vig und Antarctic Havn (Ost-Grönland). Meddelelser om Grønland 153.
    1. Kempe D. R. C.,
    2. Deer W. A.,
    3. Wager L. R.
    (1970) Geological investigations in East Greenland, Part VII. The petrology of the Kangerdlugssuaq alkaline intrusion, East Greenland. Meddelelser om Grønland 190(2). 49.
    1. Kent P. E.
    (1977) The Mesozoic development of aseismic continental margins. Journal of the Geological Society of London 134:1–18.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Kharin G. N.
    (1974) in Initial Reports of the Deep Sea Drilling Project, The petrology of magmatic rocks, DSDP Leg 38, eds Talwani M., Udintsev G., et al. (US Government Printing Office, Washington), 38, pp 685–702.
    OpenUrl
    1. King B. C.
    (1982) in Igneous Rocks of the British Isles, Composite intrusions: association of acid and basic magmas, ed Sutherland D. S. (Wiley & Sons, New York), pp 441–447.
    1. Koch L.,
    2. Haller J.
    (1971) Geological map of East Greenland 72°N–76°N lat (1:250,000). Meddelelser om Grønland 183.
    1. Knox R. W. O’B.,
    2. Morton A. C.
    (1983) Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society Stratigraphical distribution of early Palaeogene pyroclastic deposits in the North Sea Basin, 44, pp 355–363.
    1. Larsen H. C.
    (1978) Offshore continuation of East Greenland dyke swarm and North Atlantic Ocean formation. Nature 274:220–223.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Larsen H. C.
    (1980) Geological perspectives of the East Greenland continental margin. Bulletin of the Geological Society of Denmark 29:77–101.
    OpenUrl
    1. Larsen J. G.
    (1977) Transition from low potassium olivine tholeiites to alkali basalts on Ubekendt Ejland. Meddelelser om Grønland 200(1):1–42.
    OpenUrl
    1. Larsen L. M.,
    2. Watt W. S.
    (1985) Episodic volcanism during break-up of the North Atlantic: evidence from the East Greenland plateau basalts. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 73:105–116.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Larsen L. M.,
    2. Watt W. S.,
    3. Watt M.
    (1988) Geology and petrology of the Lower Tertiary plateau basalts of the Scoresby Sund region, East Greenland. Bulletin of the Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse, In press.
    1. Lund J.
    (1983) in Structure and development of the Greenland-Scotland Ridge, Biostratigraphy of interbasaltic coals, eds Bott M. H. P., Saxov S., Talwani M., Thiede J. (Plenum Press, New York), pp 417–423.
    1. Lyle P.
    (1985) The petrogenesis of the Tertiary basaltic and intermediate lavas of northeast Ireland. Scottish Journal of Geology 21:71–84.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. McBirney A. R.
    (1975) Differentiation of the Skaergaard Intrusion. Nature 253:691–694.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
    1. Macintyre R. M.
    (1977) Anorogenic magmatism, plate motion and Atlantic evolution. Journal of the Geological Society of London 133:375–384.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Macintyre R. M.,
    2. McMenamin T.,
    3. Preston J.
    (1975) K-Ar results from Western Ireland and their bearing on the timing and siting of Thulean magmatism. Scottish Journal of Geology 11:227–249.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Macintyre R. M.,
    2. McMenamin T.,
    3. Preston J.
    (1979) K-Ar results from Western Ireland and their bearing on the timing and siting of Thulean magmatism. (reply to Mussett). Scottish Journal of Geology 15:251–254.
    OpenUrlFREE Full Text
    1. McKenzie D.
    (1984) A possible mechanism for epeirogenic uplift. Nature 307:616–618.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
    1. McQuillin R.,
    2. Binns P. E.
    (1973) Geological structure in the Sea of the Hebrides. Nature, Physical Science 241:2–4.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Mattey D. P.,
    2. Gibson I. L.,
    3. Marriner G. F.,
    4. Thompson R. N.
    (1977) The diagnostic geochemistry, relative abundance, and spatial distribution of high-calcium, low-alkali olivine tholeiite dykes in the Lower Tertiary regional swarm of the Isle of Skye, N. W. Scotland. Mineralogical Magazine 41:273–286.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Maync W.
    (1942) Stratigraphie und Faziesverhältnisse der oberpermischen Ablagerungen Ostgrönlands (olim “Oberkarbon-Unterperm”) zwischen Wollaston Forland und dem Kejser Franz Josephs Fjord. Meddelelser om Grøland 115. 128.
    1. Menzies M.,
    2. Halliday A.,
    3. Hunter R. N.,
    4. Mac-Intyre R. M.,
    5. Upton B. G. J.
    (1987) The age, composition and significance of a xenolith-bearing monchiquite dike, Lewis, Scotland. Australian Journal of Earth Sciences Special Publication IKC IV, In press.
    1. Merriman R. J.,
    2. Taylor P. N.,
    3. Morton A. C.
    (1988) in Early Tertiary Volcanism and the Opening of the NE Atlantic, Petrochemistry and isotope chemistry of early Palaeogene basalts forming the dipping reflector sequence SW of Rockall Plateau, NE Atlantic, Geological Society of London, Special Publication, eds Morton A. C., Parson L. M. 39, pp 123–134.
    OpenUrl
    1. Mitchell J. G.,
    2. Mohr P.
    (1986) K-Ar systematics in Tertiary dolerites from West Connacht, Ireland. Scottish Journal of Geology 22:225–240.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Morton A. C.,
    2. Dixon J. E.,
    3. Fitton J. G.,
    4. Macintyre R. M.,
    5. Smythe D. K.,
    6. Taylor P. N.
    (1988) in Early Tertiary Volcanism and the Opening of the NE Atlantic, Early Tertiary volcanic rocks in Well 163/6-1A, Rockall Trough, Geological Society of London Special Publication, eds Morton A. C., Parson L. M. 39, pp 293–308.
    OpenUrl
    1. Münther V.
    (1973) Results from a geological reconnaissance around Svartenhuk Halvø, West Greenland. Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse Rapport 50. 26.
    1. Mussett A. E.
    (1980) British Tertiary Igneous Province probably not associated with East Greenland lavas. Nature 284:376–377.
    OpenUrl
    1. Mussett A. E.
    (1984) Time and duration of Tertiary igneous activity of Rhum and adjacent areas. Scottish Journal of Geology 20:273–279.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Mussett A. E.
    (1986) 40Ar-39Ar step-heating ages of the Tertiary igneous rocks of Mull, Scotland. Journal of the Geological Society of London 143:887–896.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Myers J. S.
    (1980) Structure of the coastal dyke swarm and associated plutonic intrusions of East Greenland. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 46:407–418.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Nielsen P. H.
    (1983) in Structure and Development of the Greenland-Scotland Ridge, Geology and crustal structure of the Faeroe Island—a review, eds Bott M. H. P., Saxov S., Talwani M., Thiede J. (Plenum Press, New York), pp 77–86.
    1. Nielsen T. F. D.
    (1975) Possible mechanism of continental break-up in the North Atlantic. Nature 253:182–184.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
    1. Nielsen T. F. D.
    (1978) The Tertiary dike swarms of the Kanger-dlugssuaq area, East Greenland. An example of magmatic development during continental break-up. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology 67:63–78.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Nielsen T. F. D.
    (1980) The petrology of a melilitolite, melteigite, ijolite, nepheline, syenite and carbonatite ring dike system in the Gardiner Complex, East Greenland. Lithos 13:181–197.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Nielsen T. F. D.
    (1981) The ultramafic cumulate series, Gardiner Complex, East Greenland. Cumulates in a shallow level magma chamber of a nephelinitic volcano. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology 76:60–72.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Nielsen T. F. D.
    (1987) in Alkaline Igneous Rocks, Tertiary alkaline magmatism in East Greenland: a review, Geological Society of London, Special Publication, eds Fitton J. G., Upton B. G. J. 30, pp 489–515.
    OpenUrl
    1. Nielsen T. F. D.,
    2. Brooks C. K.
    (1981) The E. Greenland rifted continental margin: an examination of the coastal flexure. Journal of the Geological Society of London 138:559–568.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Nielsen T. F. D.,
    2. Soper N. J.,
    3. Brooks C. K.,
    4. Faller A. M.,
    5. Higgins A. C.,
    6. Matthews D. W.
    (1981) The pre-basaltic sediments and the Lower Basalts at Kangerdlugssuaq, East Greenland: their stratigraphy, lithology, palaeomagnetism and petrology. Meddelelser om Grønland, Geoscience 6. 25.
    1. Noe-Nygaard A.
    (1942) On the geology and petrography of the West Greenland Basalt Province, Part III. The Plateau Basalts of Svartenhuk Peninsula. Meddelelser om Grønland 137(3). 78.
    1. Noe-Nygaard A.
    (1967) Dredged basalts from Skagerrak. Meddelelser Dansk Geologiske Forening 17:285–287.
    OpenUrl
    1. Noe-Nygaard A.
    (1974) in The Ocean Basins and Margins (Vol. 2 The North Atlantic), Cenozoic to Recent Volcanism in and around the North Atlantic Basin, eds Nairn A. E. M., Stehli F. G. (Plenum Press, New York), pp 391–443.
    1. Noe-Nygaard A.
    (1976) in Geology of Greenland, Tertiary igneous rocks between Shannon and Scoresby Sund, East Greenland, eds Escher A., Watt W. S. (Geological Survey of Greenland, Copenhagen), pp 386–402.
    1. Noe-Nygaard A.,
    2. Rasmussen J.
    (1968) Petrology of a 3,000 metre sequence of basaltic lavas in the Faeroe Islands. Lithos 1:286–304.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
    1. Noe-Nygaard A.,
    2. Rasmussen J.
    (1984) in The deep drilling project 1980–1981 in the Faeroe Island, Introduction: Geological review and choice of drilling sites, eds Berthelsen O., Noe-Nygaard A., Rasmussen J. (Føroya Frodskaparfelag, Torshavn), pp 9–12.
    1. Nunns A. G.
    (1983) in Structure and development of the Greenland-Scotland Ridge, Plate tectonic evolution of the Greenland-Scotland Ridge and surrounding regions, eds Bott M. H. P., Saxov S., Talwani M., Thiede J. (Plenum Press, New York), pp 11–28.
    1. Odin G. S.,
    2. Mitchell J. G.
    (1983) Dating of the Palaeocene-Eocene Blosseville Group basalts, Scoresby Sund, East Greenland: a review. Newsletters on Stratigraphy 12:112–121.
    OpenUrl
    1. O’Nions R. K.,
    2. Clarke D. B.
    (1972) Comparative trace element geochemistry of Tertiary basalts from Baffin Bay. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 15:436–446.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Pacey N. R.
    (1984) Bentonites in the chalk of central eastern England and their relation to the opening of the northeast Atlantic. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 67:48–60.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Pankhurst R. J.,
    2. Beckinsale R. D.,
    3. Brooks C. K.
    (1976) Strontium and oxygen isotopic evidence relating to the petrogenesis of the Kangerdlugssuaq alkaline intrusion, East Greenland. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology 54:17–42.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Parrott R. J. E.
    (1976) 40Ar/39Ar dating on Labrador Sea volcanics and their relation to sea-floor spreading. M.Sc. thesis (Dalhousie University, Halifax).
    1. Parrott R. J. E.,
    2. Reynolds P. H.
    (1975) Argon 40/argon 39 geochronology: age determinations of basalts from the Labrador Sea area. Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs 7:835.
    OpenUrl
    1. Pedersen A. K.,
    2. Engell J.,
    3. Rønsbo J. G.
    (1975) Early Tertiary volcanism in the Skagerrak: new chemical evidence from ash-layers in the mo-clay of northern Denmark. Lithos 8:255–268.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Preston J.
    (1981) in A Geology of Ireland, Tertiary igneous activity, ed Holland C. H. (Scottish Academic Press, Edinburgh), pp 213–223.
    1. Preston J.
    (1982) in Igneous Rocks of the British Isles, Eruptive volcanism, ed Sutherland D. S. (Wiley & Sons, New York), pp 351–368.
    1. Rex D. C.,
    2. Gledhill A. R.,
    3. Brooks C. K.,
    4. Steenfelt A.
    (1979) Radiometric ages of Tertiary salic intrusions near Kong Oscars Fjord, East Greenland. Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse Rapport 95:106–109.
    OpenUrl
    1. Rhys G. H.
    (1974) Report of the Institute of Geological Sciences, A proposed standard lithostratigraphic nomenclature for the southern North Sea and an outline structure nomenclature for the whole of the (U.K.) North Sea, 74/8.
    1. Ridd M. F.
    (1983) in Structure and Development of the Greenland-Scotland Ridge, Aspects of the Tertiary geology of the Faeroe-Shetland Channel, eds Bott M. H. P., Saxov S., Talwani M., Thiede J. (Plenum Press, New York), pp 91–108.
    1. Ridley W. I.
    (1973) Report of the Institute of Geological Sciences, The petrology of volcanic rocks from the Small Isles of Inverness-shire, 73/10.
    1. Roberts D. G.
    (1975) in Petroleum and the Continental Shelf of North West Europe (Vol I: Geology), Tectonic and stratigraphic evolution of Rockall Plateau and Trough, ed Woodland A. W. (Applied Science Publishers, London), pp 77–89.
    1. Rosenkrantz A.,
    2. Pulvertaft T. C. R.
    (1969) in North Atlantic Geology and Continental Drift, Cretaceous-Tertiary stratigraphy and tectonics in Northern West Greenland, Memoir of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, ed Kay M. 12, pp 883–898.
    OpenUrl
    1. Sabine P. A.
    (1960) The geology of Rockall, North Atlantic. Bulletin of the Geological Survey of Great Britain 16:156–178.
    OpenUrl
    1. Sharma P. V.
    (1970) Geophysical evidence for a buried volcanic mount in the Skagerrak. Bulletin of the Geological Society of Denmark 19:368–377.
    OpenUrl
    1. Smythe D. K.,
    2. Chalmers J. A.,
    3. Skuce A. G.,
    4. Dobinson A.,
    5. Mould A. S.
    (1983) Early opening history of the North Atlantic—I. Structure and origin of the Faeroe-Shetland Escarpment. Geophysical Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society 72:373–398.
    OpenUrlWeb of Science
    1. Soper N. J.,
    2. Costa L. I.
    (1976) Palynological evidence for the age of Tertiary basalts and post-basaltic sediments at Kap Dalton, central East Greenland. Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse Rapport 80:123–127.
    OpenUrl
    1. Soper N. J.,
    2. Higgins A. C.,
    3. Downie C.,
    4. Matthews D. W.,
    5. Brown P. E.
    (1976) Late Cretaceous-early Tertiary stratigraphy of the Kangerdlugssuaq area, East Greenland, and the age of opening of the north-east Atlantic. Journal of the Geological Society of London 132:85–104.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Speight J. M.,
    2. Skelhorn R. R.,
    3. Sloan T.,
    4. Knaap R. J.
    (1982) in Igneous Rocks of the British Isles, the dyke swarms of Scotland, ed Sutherland D. S. (Wiley & Sons, New York), pp 449–459.
    1. Srivastava S. P.
    (1983) in Structure and development of the Greenland-Scotland Ridge, Davis Strait: Structures, origin and evolution, eds Bott M. H. P., Saxov S., Talwani M., Thiede J. (Plenum Press, New York), pp 159–189.
    1. Surlyk F.
    (1977) Mesozoic faulting in East Greenland. Geologie en Mijnbouw 56:311–327.
    OpenUrl
    1. Surlyk F.
    (1978) Jurassic basin evolution in East Greenland. Nature 274:130–133.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Sutherland D. S.
    , ed (1982) Igneous Rocks of the British Isles (Wiley & Sons, New York).
    1. Talwani M.,
    2. Eldholm O.
    (1972) Continental margin off Norway: A geophysical study. Bulletin of the Geological Society of America 83:3575–3606.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Talwani M.,
    2. Udintsev G.
    (1974) in Initial Reports of the Deep Sea Drilling Project, Tectonic synthesis, eds Talwani M., Udintsev G., et al. (US Government Printing Office, Washington), 38, pp 1213–1242.
    OpenUrl
    1. Thompson P.,
    2. Mussett A. E.,
    3. Dagley P.
    (1987) Revised 40Ar-39Ar age for granites of the Mourne Mountains, Ireland. Scottish Journal of Geology 23:215–220.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Thompson R. N.
    (1982) in Igneous Rocks of the British Isles, Geochemistry and magma genesis, ed Sutherland D. S. (Wiley & Sons, New York), pp 461–477.
    1. Thompson R. N.
    (1982) Magmatism of the British Tertiary Volcanic Province. Scottish Journal of Geology 18:49–107.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Upton B. G. J.,
    2. Emeleus C. H.,
    3. Hald N.
    (1980) Tertiary volcanism in northern E. Greenland: Gauss Halvø and Hold with Hope. Journal of the Geological Society of London 137:491–508.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Upton B. G. J.,
    2. Emeleus C. H.,
    3. Beckinsale R. D.
    (1984) Petrology of the northern East Greenland Tertiary flood basalts: Evidence from Hold with Hope and Wollaston Forland. Journal of Petrology 25:151–184.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Upton B. G. J.,
    2. Emeleus C. H.,
    3. Beckinsale R. D.,
    4. Macintyre R. M.
    (1984) Myggbukta and Kap Broer Ruys: the most northerly of the East Greenland Tertiary igneous centres (?). Mineralogical Magazine 48:323–343.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Vann I. R.
    (1978) in Crustal Evolution in North-western Britain and Adjacent Regions, The siting of Tertiary vulcanicity, Geological Journal Special Issue, eds Bowes D. R., Leake B. E. 10, pp 393–414.
    OpenUrl
    1. Vischer A.
    (1943) Die postdevonische Tektonik von östgrönland zwischen 74° und 75°N. Br. Kuhn Ø, Wollaston Forland, Clavering Ø und angrenzende Gebiete. Meddelelser om Grønland 133:1–94.
    OpenUrl
    1. Waagstein R.
    (1988) in Early Tertiary Volcanism and the Opening of the NE Atlantic, Structure, composition and age of the Faeroe basalt plateau, Geological Society of London, Special Publication, eds Morton A. C., Parson L. M. 39, pp 225–238.
    OpenUrl
    1. Wadsworth W. J.
    (1982) in Igneous Rocks of the British Isles, The major basic intrusions, ed Sutherland D. S. (Wiley & Sons, New York), pp 415–425.
    1. Wager L. R.
    (1934) Geological investigations in East Greenland. Part I. General geology from Anmagssalik to Kap Dalton. Meddelelser om Grønland 105(2). 46.
    1. Wager L. R.
    (1935) Geological investigations in East Greenland. Part II. Geology of Kap Dalton. Meddelelser om Grønland 105(3). 32.
    1. Wager L. R.
    (1947) Geological investigations in East Greenland. Part IV. The stratigraphy and tectonics of Knud Rasmussens Land and the Kangerdlugssuaq region. Meddelelser om Grønland 134:1–64.
    OpenUrl
    1. Wager L. R.,
    2. Deer W. A.
    (1939) Geological investigation in East Greenland. Part III. The petrology of the Skaergaard intrusion, Kangerdlugssuaq. Meddelelser om Grønland 105:1–352.
    OpenUrl
    1. Wager L. R.,
    2. Brown G. M.
    (1968) Layered Igneous Rocks (Oliver & Boyd, London).
    1. Walker G. P. L.
    (1975) A new concept of the evolution of the British Tertiary intrusive centres. Journal of the Geological Society of London 131:121–141.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Ziegler P. A.
    (1978) North-western Europe: tectonics and basin development. Geologie en Mijnbouw 57:589–626.
    OpenUrl
Back to top
Alerts
Citation tools
Permissions
View PDF
Email to

Related Articles

Similar Articles

Cited By...