The Bivrost Lineament separates the Vøring and
Lofoten-Vestera ˚len margins, marking the northern termination of the Vøring Plateau and the Vøring Marginal High, as well as the Vøring Escarpment. The
Bivrost Transfer Zone is a major boundary in terms
of margin physiography, structure, break-up
magmatism and lithosphere stretching; break-up
related magmatism is more voluminous south of it
while the less magmatic Lofoten-Vestera ˚len margin
was more susceptible to initial post-opening
subsidence.
The Lofoten-Vestera ˚len margin is characterised by
a narrow shelf and steep slope (Figs. 25.10, 25.11 and
25.12). The sedimentary basins underneath the shelf
are narrower and shallower than on the Vøring and
Møre margins. Typically they form asymmetric halfgraben structures with changes in polarity bounded by
a series of basement highs along the shelf edge.
Beneath the slope, break-up-related lavas mask a sedimentary basin whose detailed mapping is hampered by
poor seismic imaging. The continental crust on the
Lofoten-Vestera ˚len margin appears to have experienced only moderate pre-break-up extension,
contrasting with the greatly extended crust in the
Vøring Basin farther south.
25.3.2 Stratigraphy/Evolution
A stratigraphic summary for the Mid-Norwegian
Shelf/Margin is shown in Fig. 25.4. The pre-opening,
structural margin framework is dominated by the NE
Atlantic-Arctic Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous rift
episode responsible for the development of major
0
5
10
15
68
66
64
62
Trøndelag
Platform
Vøring
Basin
Lofoten
Basin
Norway
Basin
Møre
Basin
M T F C
MMH
VMH
HT
NR
FH
HB
FB
RsB
TB
VS
NS
HG
GR
Late CretaceousPalaeocene
Late JurassicEarly Cretaceous
Late Palaeozoic
7
8
9
11
13
12
10
N H
DT
U H
VH
RiB
VB
UR
V E
Fig. 25.10 Main structural elements of the mid-Norwegian
Margin and adjacent areas (close-up of Fig. 25.2 – modified/
updated from Faleide et al. 2008). Location of interpreted
regional profiles (black), crustal transects (red) and seismic
examples (blue) shown in Figs. 25.11, 25.12 and 25.13. DT ¼
Dønna Terrace, FB ¼ Froan Basin, FH ¼ Frøya High, GR ¼
Gjallar Ridge, HT ¼ Halten Terrace, HB ¼ Helgeland Basin,
HG ¼ Hel Graben, MMH ¼ Møre Marginal High, MTFC ¼
Møre-Trøndelag Fault Complex, NH ¼ Nyk High, NR ¼
Nordland Ridge, NS ¼ Na ˚grind Syncline, RiB ¼ Ribban
Basin, RsB ¼ Ra ˚s Basin, TB ¼ Træna Basin, UH ¼ Utgard
High, UR ¼ Utrøst Ridge, VE ¼ Vøring Escarpment, VH ¼
Vigra High, VB ¼ Vestfjorden Basin, VMH ¼ Vøring Marginal
High, VS ¼ Vigrid Syncline
25 Geology of the Norwegian Continental Shelf
621
Lofoten-Vestera ˚len margins, marking the northern termination of the Vøring Plateau and the Vøring Marginal High, as well as the Vøring Escarpment. The
Bivrost Transfer Zone is a major boundary in terms
of margin physiography, structure, break-up
magmatism and lithosphere stretching; break-up
related magmatism is more voluminous south of it
while the less magmatic Lofoten-Vestera ˚len margin
was more susceptible to initial post-opening
subsidence.
The Lofoten-Vestera ˚len margin is characterised by
a narrow shelf and steep slope (Figs. 25.10, 25.11 and
25.12). The sedimentary basins underneath the shelf
are narrower and shallower than on the Vøring and
Møre margins. Typically they form asymmetric halfgraben structures with changes in polarity bounded by
a series of basement highs along the shelf edge.
Beneath the slope, break-up-related lavas mask a sedimentary basin whose detailed mapping is hampered by
poor seismic imaging. The continental crust on the
Lofoten-Vestera ˚len margin appears to have experienced only moderate pre-break-up extension,
contrasting with the greatly extended crust in the
Vøring Basin farther south.
25.3.2 Stratigraphy/Evolution
A stratigraphic summary for the Mid-Norwegian
Shelf/Margin is shown in Fig. 25.4. The pre-opening,
structural margin framework is dominated by the NE
Atlantic-Arctic Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous rift
episode responsible for the development of major
0
5
10
15
68
66
64
62
Trøndelag
Platform
Vøring
Basin
Lofoten
Basin
Norway
Basin
Møre
Basin
M T F C
MMH
VMH
HT
NR
FH
HB
FB
RsB
TB
VS
NS
HG
GR
Late CretaceousPalaeocene
Late JurassicEarly Cretaceous
Late Palaeozoic
7
8
9
11
13
12
10
N H
DT
U H
VH
RiB
VB
UR
V E
Fig. 25.10 Main structural elements of the mid-Norwegian
Margin and adjacent areas (close-up of Fig. 25.2 – modified/
updated from Faleide et al. 2008). Location of interpreted
regional profiles (black), crustal transects (red) and seismic
examples (blue) shown in Figs. 25.11, 25.12 and 25.13. DT ¼
Dønna Terrace, FB ¼ Froan Basin, FH ¼ Frøya High, GR ¼
Gjallar Ridge, HT ¼ Halten Terrace, HB ¼ Helgeland Basin,
HG ¼ Hel Graben, MMH ¼ Møre Marginal High, MTFC ¼
Møre-Trøndelag Fault Complex, NH ¼ Nyk High, NR ¼
Nordland Ridge, NS ¼ Na ˚grind Syncline, RiB ¼ Ribban
Basin, RsB ¼ Ra ˚s Basin, TB ¼ Træna Basin, UH ¼ Utgard
High, UR ¼ Utrøst Ridge, VE ¼ Vøring Escarpment, VH ¼
Vigra High, VB ¼ Vestfjorden Basin, VMH ¼ Vøring Marginal
High, VS ¼ Vigrid Syncline
25 Geology of the Norwegian Continental Shelf
621