NE Canada Rifted Margin Composite Tectono-Sedimentary Element, Baffin Bay, Davis Strait and Labrador Sea

Abstract

The Northeast Canada Rifted Margin (NCRM) Composite Tectono-Sedimentary Element (CTSE) developed during a long and complex history that produced two tectono-sedimentary elements (TSEs): (1) the pre-rift TSE of pre-Cretaceous age; and (2) the syn-rift TSE of Early Cretaceous-Paleocene age. The pre-rift TSE includes the oldest and most poorly known offshore sedimentary accumulations which mainly evolved in a cratonic setting. In contrast, Cretaceous-lower Paleocene sedimentary basins of the syn-rift TSE are known from several wells, seismic data, outcrops, and seabed samples, and their extent and distribution are mapped in most parts of the margin. The syn-rift TSE is the most prospective part of the margin and hydrocarbon shows have been documented in some wells and offshore seeps studies. This review provides insights into the Paleozoic-Cenozoic evolution of the NE Canada rifted margin in the Labrador Sea, Davis Strait, and Baffin Bay. In this context, we discuss structural inheritance and rift development, and account for confirmed and potential hydrocarbon systems and plays.