It is clear from new state-of-the-art data that the processes responsible for ‘unleashing’ tectonic plates are distinct when moving across, and along, continental margins. There is simply no evolutionary sequence that applies to all continental margins, and even adjacent sedimentary basins on the same continental margins are known to record distinct geological processes during their formation. Of key importance to characterise their economic potential, the last tectonic pulses that fully separate, or rift, distinct continents have the potential to affect the thermal and structural evolutions of the areas where continental margins will soon form. This Special Issue presents new data from economically significant areas of continental margins where exploration work is ongoing, or just started, not only in terms of their hydrocarbon potential, but also as hosts of water, geothermal and mineral resources. Contributions to the Special Issue vary from tackling local, but important, sources of fluid in new frontier areas, to broad plate-scale geophysical modelling explaining continental breakup, and regional tectono-stratigraphic analyses of new frontier areas.

从最新的最新数据中可以明显看出，负责“释放”构造板块的过程在穿越大陆边缘并沿着大陆边缘移动时是不同的。根本没有适用于所有大陆边缘的演化序列，甚至已知同一大陆边缘的相邻沉积盆地在形成过程中都会记录不同的地质过程。对于表征其经济潜力而言，至关重要的是，完全分离或裂开不同大陆的最后构造脉冲可能会影响即将形成大陆边缘的地区的热和结构演变。本期特刊提供了正在进行或刚刚开始勘探的大陆边缘具有经济意义的地区的新数据，不仅涉及碳氢化合物的潜力，而且还作为水，地热和矿产资源的宿主。对特刊的贡献从解决新边疆地区的局部但重要的流体来源到解释大陆破裂的宽板块地球物理模型，以及对新边疆地区的区域构造地层分析，不一而足。