Tectonic Evolution of Arctic Continental Margins

The Arctic continental margins record a complex interplay of rifting, magmatism, subsidence and uplift that has shaped the present‐day edge of the Arctic Ocean. Initial rift phases began in the Mesozoic, fragmenting the Pangaean supercontinent and opening the Amerasia and Eurasia basins. Subsequent breakup of continental lithosphere gave rise to passive margins fringed by volcanic provinces and large igneous intrusions, reflecting mantle plume influences. Basin subsidence, driven by thermal cooling of stretched lithosphere and sediment loading, formed deep marine corridors that linked the Arctic to the North Atlantic. Cenozoic tectonic reorganisation, including episodes of compression and forebulge uplift associated with adjacent fold‐and‐thrust belts, modified basin geometry and induced erosion. Throughout this evolution, transient gateways such as the Barents Seaway and Fram Strait controlled ocean circulation and climate feedbacks. Modern margins display inherited structural fabrics: rotated fault blocks on the Lomonosov Ridge, thinned continental crust beneath the Barents Shelf and thicker lithosphere beneath the Kara Sea. Together, these features record a diachronous evolution from active rifting to passive margin stabilisation, punctuated by magmatic and glacial overprints with global palaeogeographic and resource implications.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have employed numerical modelling to reconstruct the palaeobathymetry and topography of the southwestern Barents Seaway through the Eocene to Quaternary. Results indicate that early Eocene subaerial highs effectively barred Atlantic water inflow, while middle Eocene subsidence allowed episodic connection. From the Oligocene onward, regional uplift and shelf shallowing curtailed seaway exchange, leaving the Fram Strait as the principal Atlantic–Arctic gateway since the Miocene. These reconstructions refine the timing of ocean circulation shifts that have direct bearing on global climate models and sediment dispersal patterns along Arctic margins.

Tectonic Evolution of Arctic Continental Margins publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in tectonic evolution of arctic continental margins across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Passive margin: A non‐tectonically active continental edge formed after rifting, characterised by thermal subsidence and sediment accumulation.

Rifting: The process of lithospheric extension that leads to crustal thinning, normal faulting and eventual ocean basin formation.

Palaeobathymetry: Reconstruction of past seafloor depths and topography, essential for modelling ancient ocean gateways and circulation.

Residual bathymetry: The difference between observed seafloor depth and expected depth from age‐depth trends, used to infer crustal thickness and magmatic accretion.

Lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary (LAB): The transition zone between rigid lithospheric plates and the underlying ductile mantle, influencing heat flow and tectonic strength.

Magmatic productivity: A measure of melt supply and igneous crust formation at divergent plate boundaries or plume‐modulated rift systems.

References

1. Paleobathymetric reconstructions of the SW Barents Seaway and their implications for Atlantic–Arctic ocean circulation. Communications Earth & Environment (2023).
2. The subsurface thermal state of Svalbard and implications for geothermal potential. Geothermics (2023).
3. Unexpectedly High Magma Productivity Inferred From Crustal Roughness and Residual Bathymetry on the Eastern Part of the Ultra‐Slow Spreading Gakkel Ridge Since ∼45 Ma, Eurasian Basin, Arctic Ocean. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth (2024).
4. 4D Arctic: A Glimpse into the Structure and Evolution of the Arctic in the Light of New Geophysical Maps, Plate Tectonics and Tomographic Models. Surveys in Geophysics (2013).
5. A lithosphere-scale structural model of the Barents Sea and Kara Sea region. Solid Earth (SE) (2015).
6. Cenozoic uplift and erosion of the Norwegian Barents Shelf – A review. Earth-Science Reviews (2021).
7. Morphology and structure of the Lomonosov Ridge, Arctic Ocean. Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems (2006).