Regional geology and Caledonian structure, Dronning Louise Land, North-East Greenland

Abstract

A major N-S trending thrust zone exposed in Dronning Louise Land marks the western limit of intense Caledonian deformation in East Greenland. Foreland basement to the west of the thrust zone is dominated by orthogneisses which are overlain unconformably by two sedimentary sequences (Trekant Series and Zebra Series). The Zebra Series contains Skolithos trace fossils which indicate that it is no older than latest Proterozoic. Metamorphosed correlatives of the Trekant Series and the Zebra Series can be recognised as tectonic slices within the thrust zone, and also as infoIds within the allochthonous gneisses which overlie the thrust zone. The dominant Caledonian structures are thought to have resulted from sinistral transpression, which involved partitioning of regional deformation between sinistral strike-slip movements in the east of the region, and generally NW-directed oblique thrusting and folding further to the west.