Magnetic anomalies across the transitional crust of the passive conjugate margins of the North Atlantic: Iberian Abyssal Plain/Northern Newfoundland Basin

The magma starved Iberia Abyssal Plain (IAP) margin off Iberia is probably one of the most studied non-volcanic continental margin in the world. Numerous multi-channel seismic cruises, detailed refraction surveys, and ODP drilling (Legs 149 and 173) have been carried out across it. Yet serious disagreement exists about the nature and mode of emplacement of the transitional crust which lies between true continental and true oceanic crusts in this region. One group regards this crust to be excessively thinned continental crust through which mantle was exhumed while the other group regards it to be oceanic crust, a mixture of basalt and mantle material, formed during ultraslow seafloor spreading. However, neither the drilling, which was carried out only on the basement highs and recovered serpentinized peridotites together with some gabbroic material, nor the detailed refraction measurements have been of much help in solving this dispute because the velocity values in this region neither correspond to true volcanic materials nor to true continental rocks. Similarly the magnetic anomalies in this region have been also interpreted differently by the two groups. One group negates the existence of any seafloor spreading type anomalies over the transition zone. On the other hand, examination of surface and deep-tow magnetic data from conjugate sections of the margins across this part of the North Atlantic shows a good correlation between them. The prime reason for such differences in the interpretation of magnetic data lies in the low amplitude of the surface magnetic anomalies forming the M sequence anomalies in this region compared to those of similar age present in the Central Atlantic.

We demonstrate here that the symmetrical magnetic anomalies identified within the transitional zones between Iberia and North America, and across passive margins in general where separation between plates has been very slow, are caused by the serpentinization of the exhumed mantle rocks and not by oceanic crust formed by seafloor spreading. Ages of mantle exhumation at ODP Sites 1067, 1068 and 1070 are similar to ages determined as if the crust was emplaced by seafloor spreading. We have demonstrated that sources of these magnetic anomalies are not located 6-8 km below the basement as previously suggested but lie within the upper crust, as for conventional seafloor spreading magnetic anomalies. From paleomagnetic measurements performed on serpentinized peridotites from three ODP sites in IAP and proxies in the Alps, we suggest that the crystallization of magnetite grains during the primary mantle serpentinization are related to mantle exhumation processes along downward concave faults, resulting in highly magnetized serpentinized rocks giving rise to magnetic anomalies similar to 'seafloor spreading' anomalies, but with different amplitudes. Finally, we suggest a mechanism of emplacement of the transitional crust for the conjugate IAP/Northern Newfoundland Basin margins similar to the mode of emplacement of amagmatic segments observed at slow or ultraslow seafloor spreading ridges. One of the consequences of this work is that magnetic data might give useful time constraints on the emplacement of transitional crust across non-volcanic passive margins but not information concerning its nature.