Structural evolution of the Vøring Basin, Norway, during the Late Cretaceous and Palaeogene

Abstract

The Vøring Basin forms an integral part of the passive margin off central Norway. Three phases of extension and three phases of compression record the transition from rifting to sea-floor spreading between Norway and Greenland. The first regional extensional event is of Early Cenomanian age, causing relative uplift of the Gjallar Ridge and development of a regional depocentre in the Rås Basin. A second extensional event is represented by Late Campanian faulting on the Nyk High and along the Fles Fault Complex. A compressional event in the Late Maastrichtian led to inversion of the Râs Basin. This was followed by a regional extensional event in Late Palaeocene, leading to the continental break-up between Norway and Greenland in Earliest Eocene. After the onset of sea-floor spreading, the Vøring Basin has remained in overall compression, with two major compressional events identified in Early Eocene and Mid-Oligocene.