Segmentation and volcano-tectonic characteristics along the SW African continental margin, South Atlantic, as derived from multichannel seismic and potential field data

• Four structurally distinct First-order Segments along the southern African margin.
• Southernmost segment non-volcanic or magma-poor.
• Proposed oblique early rifting phase at high angle to today's spreading direction.
• Enormous pre-break-up volcanic output (SDRs) along the margin.
• Overall good correlation between magnetic G anomaly and volcanic effusives (SDRs).

Regional seismic reflection and potential field data document the South Atlantic's break-up history, between 39°S and 19°S, from the Early Cretaceous onwards. Previous maps of distribution of volcanics along the margin showed volcanics along the whole African margin based on extrapolation of data. Based on previously unpublished marine geophysical data, we found the southernmost 460 km long margin segment to be lacking huge volumes of break-up related volcanic effusives. Northwards, break-up was accompanied by the emplacement of huge volumes of volcanic material, prominently featured in seismic sections as huge wedge-shaped seaward dipping reflectors (SDRs). Detailed mapping of offsets (left- and right-stepping) and variations in structural character of the volcanics reveal the segmentation along and the break-up history of the margin. Several superimposed SDR sequences, suggesting episodicity of volcanic emplacement (divided by periods of erosion and sedimentation), are distinct along southerly lines, losing prominence northwards.A main outcome of our study is that this passive margin is not continuously of the volcanic type and that the change from a non-volcanic to a volcanic margin occurs abruptly.We define four distinct First-order Segments along the 2400 km section of the southwestern African margin covered by our seismic data. From south to north these First-order Segments are: Magma-poor Segment I; Segment II with enormous SDRs volumes; decreasing SDRs volumes in Segment III; Segment IV again with enormous volcanic output, likely influenced by Walvis Ridge volcanism.Most important is that there is no systematic increase in the volumes of the effusives towards the Tristan da Cunha hot-spot. Rather there is an alternating pattern in the SDRs' volumes and widths.The boundary between the volcanic and magma-poor margin segments in the southernmost study area is sharp (10s of km), which we propose is reflected in magnetic anomaly data as well. We suggest that this variability along the margin is mainly due to a change in stretching/rifting character from oblique during the early stages of breakup to conventional seafloor spreading from Chron M4 (∼130 Ma) onwards.