East Greenland Ridge in the North Atlantic Ocean: An integrated geophysical study of a continental sliver in a boundary transform fault setting

The combined Greenland-Senja Fracture Zones (GSFZ) represent a first-order plate tectonic feature in the North Atlantic Ocean. The GSFZ defines an abrupt change in the character of magnetic anomalies with well-defined seafloor spreading anomalies in the Greenland and Norwegian basins to the south but ambiguous and weak magnetic anomalies in the Boreas Basin to the north.

Substantial uncertainty exists concerning the plate tectonic evolution of the latter area, including the role of the East Greenland Ridge, which is situated along the Greenland Fracture Zone. In 2002, a combined ocean-bottom seismometer and multichannel seismic (MCS) survey acquired two intersecting wide-angle reflection and coincident MCS profiles across and along the East Greenland Ridge.

We present the results of integrated reflection seismic interpretation, first-arrival tomography, 2D kinematic raytracing, full-wave amplitude modeling, and gravity modeling of the intersecting profiles. The results show that (1) the Greenland Basin is characterized by a normal oceanic crustal velocity structure, (2) the velocity structure of the East Greenland Ridge is of overall continental type, and (3) a major faulted basin province above highly extended continental crust exists to the NE of the ridge.

The results further suggest that a zone of extremely thin and faulted continental crust above partially serpentinized mantle peridotite defines the NW edge of the East Greenland Ridge and the transition to the NE Greenland margin.