Marine geophysical investigations in the Nares Strait between Ellesmere and North-West Greenland

Country / Region: Greenland and the Canadian Arctic Islands

Status of project: March 22, 2007

Major tectonic elements in and around the working area of Northwater Bay. In-Set shows the tectonic setting in the Paleocene, the time of the main activity of the continental Wegener Transform Fault. Source: BGR

The Nares Strait forms a rather straight set of narrow marine channels between Greenland and the Canadian Arctic Islands. Since 1982, the Nares Strait dilemma forms a classical case of conflict between plate tectonics and regional geology without obvious solution. Plate tectonics postulated a sinistral continental transform through the strait, whereas regional geological mapping results could not find evidence for the required offsets. Between 1982 and 2000 new data were gathered in northern Baffin Bay and on either side of the Strait, yet the Strait itself had still not been investigated.

We report on an expedition carried out in 2001 in the previously unexplored water covered area. In spite of the difficult ice conditions, we gathered new marine, aeromagnetic and geological data relevant to the problem. The results are presented together with compilations of the related geological and geophysical data bases. The new results narrow the gap between plate teetonics and regional geology although we have not yet reached a final solution of the controversy.

Project contributions:

• New multi-channel seismic reflection data from Northwater Bay, Nares Strait: Indications for pull-apart Tectonics
• Seismic reflection profiles from Kane to Hall Basin, Nares Strait: Evidence for faulting