Marine geophysical investigations offshore East Greenland

Abstract

During August and September 1981 a marine geophysical survey was conducted on the shelf of East Greenland. The survey consisted of two programmes, one being part of the ongoing regional project NAD (Andersen et al., 1981; Risum, 1980, and Larsen & Thorning, 1980), and the other being a small programme in the Denmark Strait (fig. 26). In all 2388 km of 24-fold multi-channel seismic data and marine gravity and magnetic data were acquired. The objective of the NAD programme is to acquire regional coverage of aeromagnetic, multi-channel seismic reflection, seismic refraction (sonobuoy), marine gravity and magnetic data of the East Greenland Shelf between latitudes 60°N and 78°N. Aeromagnetic data comprising 63000 line kilometres were acquired in 1979 (Larsen & Thorning, 1980) and 2610 km of marine geophysical data were acquired in 1980 (Andersen et al., 1981). It is anticipated that the NAD acquisition programme will be completed in 1982 after a further four weeks marine geophysical survey. The objective of the Denmark Strait programme is to map the deeper structure and subsurface configuration of what is assumed to be the basaltic basement of this region (Larsen, 1980), and to obtain stratigraphic information of the overlying sedimentary succession with special emphasis on the evaluation of the subsidence history of the region.