Evolution of the Source Mineralogy and Lithospheric Controls on Magmatism During the Northeast Atlantic Continental Breakup

Journal article

Plain Language Summary: The mid‐Norwegian Margin is part of the North Atlantic Igneous Province, a region that experienced intense volcanic activity during the opening of the Northeast Atlantic Ocean ∼56 Ma. Scientists have long debated why so much magma was emplaced in this area—was it due to an exceptionally hot mantle, or did other geological processes play a role? Using basalts collected during the International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 396 on the Vøring Margin, offshore Norway, we show that instead of extreme heat, the excess magmatism was primarily triggered by thinning of the lithosphere assisted by moderately elevated mantle temperatures. This work advances our general understanding of how continents break apart and how volcanic margins form.

Authors: Cunningham, EH; Lambart, S; Guo, P; Chatterjee, S; Tegner, C

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Wiley
• Journal: Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems
• Volume: 27
• Issue: 2
• Article number: e2025GC012556
• Publication date: 2026-02-16
• Acceptance date: 2025-12-28
• DOI: 10.1029/2025gc012556
• EISSN: 1525-2027
• ISSN: 1525-2027
• Language: English
• Keywords: North Atlantic igneous province; geochemical modeling; igneous petrology