SUMMARY Baffin Bay represents the northern extension of the extinct rift system in the Labrador Sea. While the extent of oceanic crust and magnetic spreading anomalies are well constrained in the Labrador Sea, no magnetic spreading anomalies have yet been identified in Baffin Bay. Thus, the nature and evolution of the Baffin Bay crust remain uncertain. To clearly characterize the crust in southern Baffin Bay, 42 ocean bottom seismographs were deployed along a 710‐km‐long seismic refraction line, from Baffin Island to Greenland. Multichannel seismic reflection, gravity and magnetic anomaly data were recorded along the same transect. Using forward modelling and inversion of observed traveltimes from dense airgun shots, a P‐wave velocity model was obtained. The detailed morphology of the basement was constrained using the seismic reflection data. A 2‐D density model supports and complements the P‐wave modelling. Sediments of up to 6 km in thickness with P‐wave velocities of 1.8–4.0 km s−1 are imaged in the centre of Baffin Bay. Oceanic crust underlies at least 305 km of the profile. The oceanic crust is 7.5 km thick on average and is modelled as three layers. Oceanic layer 2 ranges in P‐wave velocity from 4.8 to 6.4 km s−1 and is divided into basalts and dykes. Oceanic layer 3 displays P‐wave velocities of 6.4–7.2 km s−1. The Greenland continental crust is up to 25 km thick along the line and divided into an upper, middle and lower crust with P‐wave velocities from 5.3 to 7.0 km s−1. The upper and middle continental crust thin over a 120‐km‐wide continent–ocean transition zone. We classify this margin as a volcanic continental margin as seaward dipping reflectors are imaged from the seismic reflection data and mafic intrusions in the lower crust can be inferred from the seismic refraction data. The profile did not reach continental crust on the Baffin Island margin, which implies a transition zone of 150 km length at most. The new information on the extent of oceanic crust is used with published poles of rotation to develop a new kinematic model of the evolution of oceanic crust in southern Baffin Bay.
SUMMARY The crustal structure in the southern Davis Strait and the adjacent ocean–continent transition zone in NE Labrador Sea was determined along a 185‐km‐long refraction/wide‐angle reflection seismic transect to study the impact of the Iceland mantle plume to this region. A P‐wave velocity model was developed from forward and inverse modelling of dense airgun shots recorded by ocean bottom seismographs. A coincident industry multichannel reflection seismic profile was used to guide the modelling as reflectivity could be identified down to Moho. The model displays a marked lateral change of velocity structure. The sedimentary cover (velocities 1.8–3.9 km s−1) is up to 4 km thick in the north and thins to 1 km in the south. The segment of the line within southern Davis Strait is interpreted to be of continental character with a two‐layered 13‐km‐thick crust with P‐wave velocities of 5.6–5.8 and 6.4–6.7 km s−1 in the upper and lower crust, respectively. The crust is underlain by a 2‐ to 4‐km‐thick high‐velocity layer (7.5 km s−1). This layer we interpret as underplated material related to the Iceland plume. The southern segment of the line in Labrador Sea displays a 2‐km‐thick layer with a velocity of 4.5 km s−1. This layer can be correlated to a well about 100 km to the west of the line, where Palaeocene basalts and interbedded sediments were drilled. Underneath is a 12‐km‐thick crust with a 2‐km‐thick upper layer (5.8–6.6 km s−1) and a 10‐km‐thick lower layer (6.8–7.2 km s−1). This crust is interpreted to be of oceanic character. S‐wave modelling yields a Poisson's ratio of 0.28 for the lower crust, compatible with a gabbroic composition. The igneous crust is 5 km thicker than normal oceanic crust. We suggest that the increased magma production was created by buoyancy‐driving flow. We propose a model in which initial seafloor spreading occurred between Labrador and West Greenland, when the Iceland plume arrived in the area at ∼62 Ma and caused enhanced magma production. Shortly afterwards (chron 27–26), plume material was channelled southward underplating part of Davis Strait and forming basaltic flows interbedded with sediment.
The Davis Strait is located between Canada and Greenland and connects the Labrador Sea and the Baffin Bay basins. Both basins formed in Cretaceous to Eocene time and were connected by a transform fault system in the Davis Strait. Whether the crust in the central Davis Strait is oceanic or continental has been disputed. This information is needed to understand the evolution of this transform margin during the separation of the North American plate and Greenland. We here present a 315-km-long east-west-oriented profile that crosses the Davis Strait and two major transform fault systems-the Ungava Fault Complex and the Hudson Fracture Zone. By forward modelling of data from 12 ocean bottom seismographs, we develop a P-wave velocity model. We compare this model with a density model from ship-borne gravity data. Seismic reflection and magnetic anomaly data support and complement the interpretation. Most of the crust is covered by basalt flows that indicate extensive volcanism in the Davis Strait. While the upper crust is uniform, the middle and lower crust are characterized by higher P-wave velocities and densities at the location of the Ungava Fault Complex. Here, P-wave velocities of the middle crust are 6.6 km s −1 and of the lower crust are 7.1 km s −1 compared to 6.3 and 6.8 km s −1 outside this area; densities are 2850 and 3050 kg m −3 compared to 2800 and 2900 kg m −3. We here interpret a 45-km-long section as stretched and intruded crust or as new igneous crust that correlates with oceanic crust in the southern Davis Strait. A high-velocity lower crust (6.9-7.3 km s −1) indicates a high content of mafic material. This mantle-derived material gradually intruded the lower crust of the adjacent continental crust and can be related to the Iceland mantle plume. With plate kinematic modelling, we can demonstrate the importance of two transform fault systems in the Davis Strait: the Ungava Fault Complex with transpression and the Hudson Fracture Zone with pure strike-slip motion. We show that with recent poles of rotation, most of the relative motion between the North American plate and Greenland took place along the Hudson Fracture Zone.
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