Revised Manuscript Click here to download Article text Revised manuscript.docx 1 Stratigraphic Overview of Palaeogene Tuffs in the Faroe-Shetland Basin, NE 2 Atlantic Margin. 3 Douglas Watson1*, Nick Schofield1, David Jolley1, Stuart Archer2, Alexander J. Finlay3, Niall Mark1, 4 Jonathon Hardman1, Timothy Watton4 5 1 Department of Geology and Petroleum Geology, University of Aberdeen, King’s College, Aberdeen AB24 6 3UE, UK 7 2Maersk Olie og Gas AS, Esplanaden 50, DK-1263 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark 8 3Chemostrat Ltd. 1 Ravenscroft Court, Buttington Enterprise Park, Welshpool, SY21 8SL UK 9 4Statoil (UK) Limited, One Kingdom Street, London, W2 6BD, UK 10 *Corresponding author (e-mail:
[email protected]) 11 12 13 Abstract: Tuffs form key stratigraphic markers which assist with determining the timing of 14 volcanic margin development. A number of laterally extensive tuffs are preserved along the 15 North Atlantic Margin in the offshore Faroe-Shetland Basin (FSB), a product of early 16 Palaeogene volcanism associated with the break-up and seafloor spreading between Greenland 17 and northwest Europe. These tuffs, which are dominantly basaltic in composition, are widely 18 preserved in the contiguous North Sea Basin. However, less attention has been paid to them 19 in the FSB. This study integrates multiple regional datasets, including 3D seismic and released 20 commercial well logs to detail the character and distribution of early Palaeogene tuffs in the 21 FSB. The earliest tuffs are more locally identified by their presence in core, whereas later tuffs 22 are more regionally recognisable, highlighting more widespread volcanism with time. The 23 distribution of tuffs also reveals the timing of formation of the previously enigmatic volcanic 24 centres.