Intra plate stress

The Norwegian Sea and Barents Sea margins have a complex history and has experienced several phases of changing horizontal and vertical stresses on regional and local scale during the Cenozoic time. In addition to regional stresses related to the opening of the North Atlantic (i.e. ridge push), local variations in stress history may be important for development, distribution and reactivation of structures in the area in Cenozoic time.

The figure below shows the modelled effects of intra plate stress (IPS) along a 2D transects across the Vøring Basin (Grunnaleite et al., 2009). The results show that IPS may have given substantial vertical motions in certain areas of the mid-Norwegian shelf, both with extensional IPS at the time of break-up, and later with compressive IPS during Tertiary time. An IPS model is included in BMT.

Modelled effect of intra plate stress over Vøring area, offshore mid Norway

More details here: Grunnaleite, I., Fjeldskaar, W., Wilson, J., Faleide, J. I. and Zweigel, J., 2009.Effect of local variations of vertical and horizontal stresses on the Cenozoic structuring of the mid-Norwegian shelf. Tectonophysics, doi:10.1016/ j.tecto.2009.01.005.