Scenarios of microcontinent formation applied to the Jan Mayen microcontinent

Abstract

The Jan Mayen microcontinent is a small, unique, crustal entity that was separated from the Norwegian and Greenland margins by two distinct rifting events. Seafloor spreading along the Aegir Ridge separated Jan Mayen (together with Greenland) from Norway by ca. 54 Ma. Cessation of seafloor spreading on the Aegir Ridge at ca. 30 Ma was more or less simultaneous with the onset of extension along the Kolbeinsey Ridge between Jan Mayen and Greenland. Break-up along the Kolbeinsey Ridge by ca. 23 or 20 Ma isolated the Jan Mayen microcontinent.