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Morphology of the Northeastern Atlantic and Labrador Sea

Morphologie des Nordost-Atlantik und der Labrador-See

Morphologie de l'Atlantique Nord-Est et de la Mer du Labrador

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Summary

Recent surveys by the US Naval Oceanographic Office have added greatly to the knowledge of the primary and secondary processes which have created the present morphology of the northeastern Atlantic and Labrador Sea.

Primary processes are directly attributed to the generation of oceanic crust at the axis of the Mid-Oceanic Ridge. Shifting orientations of the axis have produced three differently oriented discrete stripes of oceanic crust since 60 million years ago. Evidence suggests a yet older axis may have been responsible for the opening of the Labrador Sea-Bay of Biscay in the early Mesozoic. Secondary processes have and are still modifying the igneous crust. The prime agent is a strong thermo-haline circulation which is piling up sediment into great plumes in some areas and eroding in other locales.

Zusammenfassung

Vermessungen, die kürzlich vom U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office durchgeführt worden sind, haben sehr dazu beigetragen, das Wissen über die primären und sekundären Prozesse zu erweitern, die die derzeitige Morphologie des nordöstlichen Teiles des Atlantischen Ozeans und der Labrador-See geschaffen haben.

Primäre Prozesse werden direkt der Entstehung von ozeanischer Kruste an der Achse des Mittelatlantischen Rückens zugeschrieben. Wechselnde Richtungen der Achse haben drei verschieden orientierte getrennte Streifen ozeanischer Kruste seit 60 Millionen Jahren hervorgebracht. Der Augenschein läßt vermuten, daß eine noch ältere Achse verantwortlich gewesen sein kann für das Öffnen zwischen Labrador-See und Biscaya Bucht im frühen Mesozoikum. Sekundäre Prozesse haben die vulkanische Kruste verändert und tun dieses noch. Die Hauptwirkungskraft ist eine starke thermo-haline Zirkulation, die in manchen Gebieten Ablagerungen in großen Streifen aufhäuft und an anderen Stellen Erosionen verursacht.

Résumé

De récentes explorations effectuées par l'U.S. Naval Océanographic Office ont grandement enrichi notre connaissance des processus primaire et secondaire qui sont à l'origine de la morphologie actuelle de l'Atlantique Nord-Est et de la mer du Labrador.

Les processus primaires remontent directement à la création de croûte océanique dans l'axe de la chaîne océanique médiane. Des changements d'orientation de l'axe ont donné naissance à trois bandes discontinues, d'orientations différentes, de la croûte océanique depuis 60 millions d'années. On est en droit de penser qu'un axe, plus ancien encore, a provoqué l'ouverture mer du Labradorgolfe de Gascogne au messzoïque supérieur. Des processus secondaires ont modifié — et continuent de modifier — la croûte ignée. Le facteur le plus important est une forte circulation thermo-haline qui entasse les sédiments en grandes masses en certaines zones et, ailleurs, en entraîne l'érosion.

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  1. G. L. Johnson, P. R. Vogt & E. D. Schneider

    Present address: U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office, 20390, Washington, D.C., USA

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    Johnson, G.L., Vogt, P.R. & Schneider, E.D. Morphology of the Northeastern Atlantic and Labrador Sea. Deutsche Hydrographische Zeitschrift 24, 49–73 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02226417

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