Stratigraphic relationships of the Lower Tertiary of the Faeroe Basalt Plateau and the Faeroe–Shetland Basin

Abstract

The Faeroe Basalt Plateau is located in the western part of the Faeroe–Shetland Channel. The Plateau consists of Lower Tertiary basalt subaerially extruded and accumulated both on land and under water. The basaltic succession is described and interpreted using seismic facies analysis and genetically related seismic units. The formation of each unit is related to eruptive pulses. The variation in the stacking pattern of the seismic units is related to: (1) the amount of available lava; and (2) the change of relative sea-level. The Faeroe–Shetland Basin is a major NE–SW trending sedimentary basin located in the Faeroe–Shetland Channel. The Lower Tertiary sediments of the Faeroe–Shetland Basin are subdivided into sequences that are tentatively correlated to the lavas of the Faeroe Basalt Plateau and East Greenland.