Seafloor Chronology in the Region of the Bouvet Lithospheric
Plate Triple Junction

A. A. Bulychev*, D. A. Gilod*, E. Yu. Kulikov*, A. A. Shreider**, and Al. A. Shreider*

* Department of Geology, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
** Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

Received December 28, 1998; in final form, April 12, 1999

Abstract—The paper presents the results of the multidisciplinary interpretation of the anomalous magnetic
field in the region of the Bouvet triple junction. The axis of the ancient Spiess Ridge emerged at the time of C4R
at the northern flank of the Bouvet Fracture Zone, while at the time of chron C2AR it jumped westward by more
than 70 km, having occupied the position close to the present-day one. At the time of chron C1R, a rapid north-
ward penetration of this axis into the lithosphere of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge occurred. During the past 1.5 My,
the peripheral terminations of the Mid-Atlantic and Spiess ridges overlapped by more than 40 km. No transform
fault connecting these two ridges, which had been inferred previously, was recognized in the bottom topography
and anomalous magnetic field.

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