Svalbard Composite Tectono-Sedimentary Element, Barents Sea

Abstract

The Svalbard Composite Tectono-Stratigraphic Element is located on the north-western corner of the Barents Shelf and comprises a Carboniferous to Pleistocene sedimentary succession. Due to Cenozoic uplift the succession is subaerially exposed in the Svalbard archipelago. The oldest parts of the succession consist of Carboniferous to Permian mixed siliciclastic, carbonate and evaporite and spiculitic sediments that developed during multiple phases of extension. The majority of the Mesozoic succession is composed of siliciclastic deposits formed in sag basins and continental platforms. Episodes of Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous contraction are evident in the eastern partof the archipelago and in nearby offshore areas. Differential uplift related to the opening of the Amerasian Basin and the Cretaceous emplacement of the High Arctic Large Igneous Province created a major hiatus spanning from the Late Cretaceous and early Danian throughout the Svalbard Composite Tectono-Stratigraphic Element

The Svalbard Carboniferous to Cenozoic Composite Tectono-Stratigraphic Element