Interlinking the Hotspot Track in the Arctic and its Implications for Paleo-plate Reconstrution

The Siberian-Icelandic hotspot track is the only preserved continental hotspot track. Although the track and its associated age progression between 160 Ma and 60 Ma are not yet well understood, this section of the track is closely linked to the tectonic evolution of Amerasian Basin, the Alpha-Mendeleev Ridge and Baffin Bay. Using paleomagnetic data, volcanic structures and marine geophysical data, the paleogeography of Arctic plates (Eurasian plate, North American Plate, Greenland Plate and Alaska Microplate) was reconstructed and the Siberian-Icelandic hotspot track was interlinked between 160 Ma and 60 Ma. Our results suggested that the Alpha-Mendeleev Ridge could be a part of the hotspot track that formed between 160 Ma and 120 Ma. During this period, the hotspot controlled the tectonic evolution of Baffin Bay and the distribution of mafic rock in Greenland. Throughout the Mesozoic Era, the aforementioned Arctic plates experienced clockwise rotation and migrated northeast towards the North Pacific. The vertical influence from the ancient Icelandic mantle plume broke this balance, slowing down some plates and resulting in the opening of several ocean basins. This process controlled the tectonic evolution of the Arctic.