The geological history of the Norwegian shelf between 62°N and 72°N may be traced back to the Upper
Palaeozoic. The area is divided into a Southern, a Middle and a Northern Province delineated by the
old, long-Iived structural lineaments which have controlled the tectonic evolution. In the Middle Province
(and probably in the Southern Province) the Triassic was dominated by NNE-SSW rift basins. The
Triassic of the Northern Province was a period of deposition on a stable shelf. The Late Jurassic/Early
Cretaceous tectonic phase was a period of extension between Greenland and Norway accompanied by
minor strike-slip adjustments along old lineaments. The Late Cretaceous and Early Tertiary tectonic
phases were to a large degree controlled by rotational plate movements. The Cretaceous subsidence
history observed on the Norwegian shelf suggests major rifting activity in the deep areas west of the
mapped area.