Eocene volcanism in offshore southern Baffin Bay

New data are presented on the offshore part of the West Greenland volcanic succession, part of the North Atlantic Igneous Province located in southern Baffin Bay. The data were obtained from the Delta-1 hydrocarbon exploration well, drilled by Cairn Energy in 2011. Wireline log data were collected over the drilled section, providing information on the physical volcanology of the volcanic succession, and 23 sidewall cores were analysed for their geochemical composition. The well encountered 65 lava flows with a well-developed core and crust signature, typical for sub-aerial eruptions. Major and trace element data showed a good correlation with parts of the succession onshore West Greenland. The XRF major and trace element data allowed careful picking of samples for ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating, and the main part of the sequence was found to be early Eocene in age. This coincides with the second main phase of volcanism in onshore West Greenland and is likely to be linked to the change in the tectonic regime in Baffin Bay at this time. This finding substantially expands the area of West Greenland affected by volcanism during the Eocene.