Inherited basement canyons: Impact on sediment distribution in the North Atlantic

Research on the Ilulissat Icefjord reveals that inherited basement canyons, extending hundreds of kilometers inland, served as long-lasting sediment conduits for the Albian–Palaeocene Nuussuaq Basin in West Greenland. These canyons, including the Ilulissat and Uparuaqqusuits, sourced sediments from a vast catchment area reaching East Greenland, significantly influencing basin evolution and palaeogeography. The study suggests that these canyons formed during Late Triassic and Late Jurassic uplift events, eroding deeply weathered basement surfaces created in the Early–Middle Triassic. This discovery sheds light on sediment distribution patterns, source-to-sink dynamics, and the geological history of the North Atlantic basins.

Dam, G., Sønderholm, M., & Sørensen, E. V. (2020). Inherited basement canyons: Impact on sediment distribution in the North Atlantic. Terra Nova, 32(4), 272–280. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/ter.12459