The thick sequence of Quaternary sediments preserved within the northern North Sea contains important information about the glacial history, palaeo-oceanographic conditions and slope stability of this region during the last 2.6 million years. The interplay between glacial, fluvial and contouritic processes can be determined from seismic stratigraphic studies. Here, seismic horizon, attribute and geomorphological interpretations of an extensive 2D seismic dataset (∼100,000 km²) and two 3D seismic cubes (∼18,400 km²) are integrated with lithological data from eight exploration wells to map sandy sedimentary units. Mapping of seismic horizons and facies reveals that, in addition to prograding glacial sediments derived from the Norwegian mainland, the Quaternary succession includes wedge-shaped units with prograding internal clinoforms building out from the East Shetland Platform, relatively flat-lying units of acoustically stratified sediments within the central northern North Sea, and aggrading to prograding units with low-amplitude internal reflections on the continental slope. The lowermost unit of Quaternary sediment is interpreted as an ∼800 km³ earliest Pleistocene (∼2.6 Ma) turbidite-contourite deposit, in which turbidites derived from a fluvial delta building out from the East Shetland Platform transition seaward into aggrading to prograding sediments of the Shetland Drift. The wedge-shaped units are intercalated with glacigenic sediments in the central northern North Sea, showing that the East Shetland Platform was a major source area for the delivery of coarse-grained sediments during the Early Pleistocene (∼2.6–0.8 Ma). The distribution of units of aggrading to prograding geometries suggests that contourites continued to develop on the continental slope, including on the North Sea trough-mouth fan, throughout the Quaternary. These interpretations constrain a new model for the Quaternary evolution of the northern North Sea that reconciles the development of the eastern and western sides of this margin, and shows the importance of fluvial-deltaic and contouritic sedimentation during periods of reduced glacigenic sediment input. Our model also provides a high-resolution analogue for the sedimentary architectures and seismic facies that can be produced by the interplay of down-slope and along-slope processes on other continental margins.

在北海北部保存的第四纪沉积物的厚层序列包含有关该地区过去260万年的冰川历史，古海洋条件和边坡稳定性的重要信息。冰川，河流和轮廓过程之间的相互作用可以通过地震地层学研究来确定。在这里，对一个广泛的2D地震数据集（〜100,000 km ²）和两个3D地震立方体（〜18,400 km ²）的地震视界，属性和地貌解释）与来自八口勘探井的岩性数据集成在一起，以绘制沙质沉积单元的图。地震层位和相图显示，除了使挪威大陆上的冰川沉积物增加外，第四纪演替还包括楔形单元和由东设得兰平台上构造的内部斜交层，以及相对平坦的声学分层沉积物单元。在北部北海中部，并逐渐演化为大陆斜坡上低振幅内反射的渐进单元。第四纪沉积物的最低单位被解释为约800 km ³最早的更新世（约2.6 Ma）的浊积云母状沉积物，其中从东设得兰平台上堆积的河流三角洲衍生出的浊积岩向海过渡，逐渐转变为设得兰群岛漂移的沉积物。楔形单元插入北海中北部的冰川成因沉积物，表明东设得兰平台是早更新世（约2.6-0.8 Ma）期间输送粗粒沉积物的主要来源地区。渐进到渐进的几何单位的分布表明，在第四纪整个大陆斜坡上，包括北海海槽扇上，轮廓岩继续发展。这些解释约束了北海北部第四纪演化的新模型，该模型协调了该边缘的东西两侧的发育，并显示了在减少冰川成因的泥沙输入期间河流-三角洲和等值线沉积的重要性。我们的模型还为沉积构造和地震相提供了高分辨率的模拟物，这些模拟物可以由其他大陆边缘的下坡和顺坡过程的相互作用产生。