Discontinuous Igneous Addition along the Eastern North American Margin
beneath the East Coast Magnetic Anomaly
Abstract
Detailed models of crustal structure at volcanic passive margins offer
insight into the role of magmatism and distribution of igneous addition
during continental rifting. The Eastern North American Margin (ENAM) is
a volcanic passive margin that formed during the breakup of Pangea
~200 Myr ago. The offshore, margin-parallel East Coast
Magnetic Anomaly (ECMA) is thought to mark the locus of synrift
magmatism. Previous widely spaced margin-perpendicular studies
seismically imaged igneous addition as seaward dipping reflectors (SDRs)
and high velocity lower crust (HVLC; >7.2 km/s) beneath the
ECMA. Along-strike imaging is necessary to more accurately determine the
distribution and volume of igneous addition during continental breakup.
We use wide-angle, marine active-source seismic data from the 2014-2015
ENAM Community Seismic Experiment to determine crustal structure beneath
a ~370-km-long section of the ECMA. P-wave velocity
models based on data from short-period ocean bottom seismometers reveal
a ~21-km-thick crust with laterally variable lower crust
velocities ranging from 6.9 to 7.5 km/s. Sections with HVLC alternate
with two ~30-km-wide areas where the velocities do not
exceed 7.0 km/s. This variable structure indicates that HVLC is
discontinuous along the margin. Velocity-thickness analysis indicates
that the HVLC discontinuity is the result of variable intrusion
along-strike. Our results suggest that magmatism during early rifting
was segmented and was lower in volume than previously thought. The HVLC
discontinuities roughly align with locations of Mid-Atlantic Ridge
fracture zones, which may indicate that early rift segmentation
influenced later segmentation of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.