SAMPLE: South Atlantic Margin Processes and Links with onshore Evolution
SAMPLE: South Atlantic Margin Processes and Links with onshore Evolution
Passive continental margins are long-term and large-scale geoarchives of first-order Earth processes related to mantle dynamics, the breakup of continents, lithosphere dynamics, the creation of sedimentary basins, changes in ocean currents and their effect on climate. Passive margins are also of paramount economic importance in terms of hydrocarbon resources.
Volcanic rifted margins also constitute a principle class of Earth’s Large Igneous Provinces (LIPs). The creation of new ocean basins through rifting and continental separation strongly modifies ocean circulation patterns with global implications on biodiversity and on climate. Sedimentary basins are formed both on- and offshore and the evolution of these basins in 4-D is a complex function of uplift, erosion, sedimentation and diagenesis processes, which in turn may be subject to external influences like mantle flow and global climate.
Fluids in basins are of great importance as they are the main agents of heat and mass transfer. This applies not only to aqueous systems and associated ore-forming processes, but also to the entire carbon cycle, of which 99% by mass occurs in the solid Earth, within which oil and gas resources are formed. The scientific-technical and societal importance of passive margins is witnessed by the large number of national and international programmes dedicated to their understanding.
The South Atlantic and its conjugate rifted margins is a key site to study the whole spectrum of phenomena related to continental breakup and passive margin formation. It is an ideal natural laboratory on which to focus research. The newly funded SPP 1375 will establish a coordinated research program on passive margin processes by the German geoscience community. While focused on the South Atlantic research within the SPP will be process-oriented and the programme wlll maintain a global perspective through comparative studies and exchange with other key regions, most notably the Central and North Atlantic.
