News from the Arctic Ocean: Linking Tectonics, Oceans, and Climate

By controlling the paleogeographic development of an area and the opening and closing of oceanic gateways, plate tectonics and the evolution of the solid earth play fundamental roles in the paleo-circulation of the oceans.  Of particular importance for understanding the climatic and environmental evolution of Earth are the connections between the Arctic Ocean and the global ocean system. Recent work on interpretation of seismic reflection data in the Amundsen Basin highlights the interplay between oceanographic and tectonic processes that have affected the basin throughout the Cenozoic.  This seminar will summarize the Cenozoic history of the Arctic region with a particular focus on the depositional history of the Amundsen Basin in response to tectonic processes as well as changing climatic and oceanographic conditions.