Canyon and Channel Systems in the Lofoten Basin, Norwegian Margin

Abstract

The Lofoten Basin continental margin has been characterized by a variety of oceanographic, tectonic, and glaciological influences during the Quaternary. GLORIA 6.5 kHz long-range side-scan sonar and 3.5-kHz sub-bottom profiler data, combined with satellite-derived bathymetry (Smith and Sandwell 1994; 1997), have revealed the extent and nature of aseries of canyon and channel systems in the Lofoten Basin (Fig. 1). Whilst these systems are all probably up to 20–30 Ma (Laberg et al. 2000; Taylor et al. 2000), they have been variously influenced by the repeated growth and decay of ice sheets on Fennoscandinavia and Svalbard (Taylor 2000).Fig. 1.Location of channel and canyon systems in the Lofoten Basin (black)