Abstract

Rifted margins host the Earth’s largest sedimentary basins, which contain important ore deposits and energy (hydrocarbon and thermal) resources and could play a pivotal role in the energy transition as ideal locations for carbon sequestration, energy and nuclear waste storage. In addition, their thick sedimentary cover constitutes a unique archive of global climate changes throughout Earth’s history and a valuable record of the dynamic processes controlling lithospheric deformation. Rifted margins form by continental rifting and the subsequent lithospheric breakup and oceanic spreading. Several key parameters influence continental rifting and the final geometry of rifted margins, including lithosphere composition and thermal state (i.e., rheology), spatial and temporal distribution of strain rate, mantle dynamics, magmatism, and surface processes (i.e., erosion and sedimentation rates). In this seminar, I will examine the role of lithosphere rheology in influencing the tectonics of continental rifting, using the Labrador Sea as a case study. I will also touch on the post-breakup life of the Atlantic NW African margin, where some intriguing post-rift vertical movements have been documented.