Canada Basin (Arctic Ocean): models of geologic structure, history and geodynamics of formation

   In the Arctic Ocean, the Amerasia and Eurasia basins are recognized. They are separated by the Lomonosov Ridge. In the southern part of the Amerasia Basin is the Canada Basin with Cretaceous oceanic and transitional crust. The Alpha-Mendeleev Rise and its associated deep-water basins (Podvodnikov, Makarov, Toll, Nautilus, and Stefansson) lie to the north of the Canada Basin. The Alpha-Mendeleev Rise and associated basins contain varying amounts of altered continental crust. Their major construction period was about 125–90 Ma. We discuss three models for formation of the Canadian Basin. Model-1: the entire Amerasia Basin with oceanic and transitional crust was formed first (before 125 Ma). This was followed by the Alpha-Mendeleev Rise region which formed as a volcanic formation on earlier oceanic crust (125–90 Ma). Model-2: the Canada Basin formed first (before 125 Ma). The Alpha-Mendeleev Rise region and associated basin then formed via continental crustal extension and magmatism (125–90 Ma). Model-3: the Alpha-Mendeleev uplift region and associated basins formed above a mantle plume (125–100 Ma). Subsequently, along one of the branches of continental rifting, spreading formed transitional and oceanic crust and the Canada Basin was formed (100–70 Ma). We find Model-1 to be the least probable, since it is now proven that the Alpha-Mendeleev Rise is underlain by continental crust. Models-2 and -3 are both possible. According to these models, the Canada Basin formed as a back-arc basin of the Pacific subduction zone.

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