The Arctic Ocean

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xiv

   PDF

2. Continental Plates and Accreted Oceanic Terranes in the Arctic

   • Michael Churkin Jr., James H. Trexler Jr.

   Pages 1-20

3. Geology of Alaska Bordering the Arctic Ocean

   • J. Thomas Dutro Jr.

   Pages 21-36

4. The North American Plate from the Arctic Archipelago to the Romanzof Mountains

   • D. K. Norris, C. J. Yorath

   Pages 37-103

5. Evolution of the Canadian Arctic Islands: A Transition between the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans

   • J. Wm. Kerr

   Pages 105-199

6. The Northern Margin of Greenland from Baffin Bay to the Greenland Sea

   • Peter R. Dawes, John S. Peel

   Pages 201-264

7. The Geology of Svalbard, the Western Part of the Barents Sea, and the Continental Margin of Scandinavia

   • K. Birkenmajer

   Pages 265-329

8. Geology of the Soviet Arctic: Kola Peninsula to Lena River

   • Michael Churkin Jr., George Soleimani, Claire Carter, Rhoda Robinson

   Pages 331-375

9. Tectonics of the Soviet Far East

   • Y. A. Kosygin, L. M. Parfenov

   Pages 377-412

10. The Tectonic Zones of Northeastern USSR and the Formation of its Continental Crust

    • N. A. Shilo, S. M. Til’man

    Pages 413-438

11. Geology and Physiography of the Continental Margin North of Alaska and Implications for the Origin of the Canada Basin

    • Arthur Grantz, Stephen Eittreim, Olive T. Whitney

    Pages 439-492

12. The Greenland—Norwegian Sea and Iceland Environment: Geology and Geophysics

    • P. R. Vogt, R. K. Perry, R. H. Feden, H. S. Fleming, N. Z. Cherkis

    Pages 493-598

13. Geology and Geophysics of the Amerasian Basin

    • David L. Clark

    Pages 599-634

14. Back Matter

    Pages 635-673

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This trip backward in time capsulizes in a general way the geologic development of the area that is now northern Alaska. The Cretaceous through Recent history is predominantly one of erosion of the ancient Brooks Range and filling of the Colville Geosyncline under processes like those in Operation today. All the rocks older than Jurassic, however, were deposited far from their present sites. One of the intriguing tectonic puzzles involves the geographic positions and relative timing of events that occurred during the orogeny that built the Brooks Range. I suggest that pre-Cretaceous deposition took place far to the north along the western margin of the Caledonides. Subsequently, the region that is now northern Alaska moved southward and impinged upon a northward moving plate, or plates, from the Pacific region. Interactions between these two major parts of the earth's crust produced the Brooks Range during the Jurassic. Later developments reflect continuing readjustments of the northern third of of thrust Alaska as southward movement was dissipated in diverse systems faulting and lateral displacement. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am indebted to many colleagues who, during the past 30 years, shared with me the excitement and pleasures of exploring the geology of northern Alaska. Among these are W. P. Brosge, H. N. Reiser, R. L. Detterman, A. K. Armstrong, A. L. Bowsher, E. G. Sable, I. L. Tailleur, C. G. Mull, M. D. Mangus, A. H. Lachenbruch, M. C. Lachenbruch, R. L. Morris, C. J.

• Arctic Ocean
• Cretaceous
• Jurassic
• development
• erosion
• fault
• geography
• geology
• history
• ocean
• orogeny

• Department of Geology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, USA

  Alan E. M. Nairn

• U. S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, USA

  Michael Churkin

• University of Florida, Gainesville, USA

  Francis G. Stehli

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