Development history of the southern terminus of the Central Atlantic; Guyana-Suriname case study
2016
The study focuses on the offshore Guyana–Suriname–French Guiana region. It draws from seismic, well, gravimetric and magnetic
data. They indicate that the continental break-up along the western margin of the Demerara Plateau took place during the Callovian–Oxfordian,
associated with the Central Atlantic opening, and accommodated by normal faults. The continental break-up in the SE offshore
Guyana accommodated by strike-slip faults was coeval. The continental break-up along the NE and eastern margins of the Demerara
Plateau took place during the late Aptian–Albian, associated with the opening of the Equatorial Atlantic, and accommodated
by dextral strike-slip and normal faults, respectively.
Different spreading vectors of the Central and Equatorial Atlantic required development of the Accommodation Block during
the late Aptian/Albian–Paleocene in their contact region, and in the region between the Central Atlantic and its southernmost
portion represented by the Offshore Guyana Block, which were separated from each other by the opening Equatorial Atlantic.
Its role was to accommodate for about 20° mismatch between the Central and Equatorial Atlantic spreading vectors, which has
decreased from the late Aptian/Albian to Paleocene down to 0°.
Differential movements between the Central and Equatorial Atlantic oceans were also accommodated by strike-slip faults of
the Guyana continental margin, some active until the Paleocene.
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