SYMMETRICAL CONJUGATION OF CONTINENT OCEAN BOUNDARY STRUCTURES ALONG THE NORWEGIAN AND EAST GREENLAND MARGINS

A characteristic structural feature of the Norwegian continental margin is a major buildup of layered extrusive basaltic rocks forming wedges that dip seaward along the entire margin. An investigation of the conjugate portions of the East Greenland margin was undertaken which used two-ship multichannel seismic acquisition as its focus. The wedges were not only present on the East Greenland margin, but details of their along-strike variability are mirrored on both mragins, together with their spatial relationship to the oldest magnetic lineation pattern. Their observation in many margins throughout the world suggest that a prolific volcanic phase may be commonly associated with the inception of a divergent plate boundary, and the most likely mechanism to generate the excess volcanism is the 'convective partial melting' scheme recently proposed by J. C. Mutter and W. R. Buck.