This project is to test the idea that the break-up unconformity may, in some cases, be associated with variation in in-plane stress within the lithosphere. The area chosen for study is the Aptian break-up unconformity of the Grand Banks of Eastern Canada because in this setting the PIs expect a significant likelihood of detection. They ask whether the proposed mechanism is necessary to explain the observed stratigraphic relationships and whether the mechanism is sufficient for plausible assumptions regarding lithospheric properties and magnitudes of the in-plane stress. The proposed study includes analysis of the seismic and stratigraphic data from the region as well as the development of three dimensional lithospheric deflection models. The data analysis will be done in conjunction with personnel from Petro-Canada Resources. %%% The concepts of seismic stratigraphy and sequence stratigraphy, that is, stratigraphic sequences that can be attributed to the fluctuations in sea level over geologic time, have come to the forefront of geological thinking. It is not yet clear whether the sequences are strictly due to actual sea level fluctuations or whether they may be due in part to tectonic effects. This project will help sort this matter out.
