Structure and evolution of the continental margin off Norway and the Barents Sea

Abstract

The Norwegian Margin formed in response to early Cenozoic continental breakup and subsequent opening of the Norwegian-Greenland Sea. There is a well-defined margin segmentation and the various segments are characterized by distinct crustal properties, structural and magmatic sryles, and post-opening history of vertical motions. The sedimentary basins at the conjugate continental margins off Norway and Greenland and in the western Barents Sea developed as a result of a series of post-Caledonian rift episodes until early Cenozoic time, when complete continental separation took place.