Evolution of the Sverdrup Basin: new insights from field studies, integrated biostratigraphy & sediment provenance analyses

The Late Paleozoic-Mesozoic strata of the Sverdrup Basin and the overlying Cenozoic deposits have been examined during three field seasons on Ellesmere and Axel Heiberg islands, Canadian Arctic. These field studies are supported by an ongoing analytical programme involving integrated biostratigraphic analysis and a variety of sediment provenance analyses. The results from this integrated study will help to constrain not only the tectonic evolution of the Sverdrup Basin and its Cenozoic exhumation, but will also define the character of the sediment sources which were eroded to generate its fill. Here, we present some preliminary data and interpretations.