Abstract
Conclusion:
This study focused on the structure and Late Cretaceous Early Cenozoic tectonic
evolution of central part of the Sørvestsnaget Basin. Its location in the southwestern
Barents Sea which is close to the Senja Fracture Zone makes this basin affected by the
plate tectonic evolution.
The evolution of the Sørvestsnaget Basin is divided into 5 stages during Late
Cretaceous Cenozoic times:
1. Late Cretaceous down-faulting of the Sørvestsnaget Basin
2. Late Paleocene Early Eocene extensional / transtensional faulting associated
with break up in the Norwegian Greenland Sea
3. Middle Late Eocene uplift of the marginal high in response to shear along and
heat transfer across the continent-ocean boundary as the spreading ridge migrated
along the Senja Fracture Zone.
Narrowing / deepening of Sub-basin A and inversion of its NE flank also occurred
in Late Eocene time and may be related tp uplift of the marginal high.
4. In Oligocene Early (?) Miocene, there was no major faulting but mild
compression giving rise to minor folds. These could be similar to compressional
structures observed widespread on continental margins surrounding the NE
Atlantic.
5. Late Pliocene Pleistocene glaciations uplift / erosion of the Barents Shelf and
subsidence / deposition of glacial fans along the western Barents Sea margin.