Radiometric ages for undated parts of the volcanic succession and intrusions in West Greenland were obtained by the 40Ar–39Ar incremental heating method. Acceptable crystallization ages were obtained for 27 samples. Combined with published results the new data provide a volcanic stratigraphy correlatable throughout the Nuussuaq Basin. The thick onshore volcanic pile consists of four widespread formations: 62.5–61 Ma picrites (Vaigat Formation), 61–60 Ma depleted basalts (Maligât Formation and the Hellefisk-1 well), 60–58 Ma less-depleted basalts (Svartenhuk Formation) and 56–54 Ma enriched basalts (Naqerloq Formation). Two local successions comprise 53.5 Ma alkali basalts (Erqua Formation) and 38.7 Ma transitional basalts (Talerua Member). A central volcano developed on Ubekendt Ejland, leading to the Sarqâta qáqâ gabbro-granophyre intrusion at 57–55 Ma. Pre-break-up volcanism took place further south as early as 64–63 Ma. The offshore volcanic succession most probably comprises the known onshore succession plus some younger lavas. The change in spreading direction near the Paleocene–Eocene boundary took place west of the Nuussuaq Basin c. 56.2 Ma. Some tectonomagmatic events are correlatable across the entire North Atlantic Igneous Province. A quiescent 58–56 Ma period correlates with similar periods in East Greenland and the Faroes, and the Naqerloq Formation is coeval with the Eocene basalts in East Greenland. The Paleocene and Eocene tholeiitic basalts are distinguishable chemically; in early Eocene time, mantle typical of the Iceland plume seems to have extended beneath the whole West Greenland margin as well as the central East Greenland margin.

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Subaerial plateau basalts, initially c . 1 km thick, overlie Cretaceous or older formations and are locally separated from pre-Tertiary rocks by ( a ) a quartzitic conglomerate and ( b ) a (younger) sequence of tuffaceous sediments and hyaloclastites. The plateau lavas are divisible into a Lower (typically microphyric, quartz tholeiitic) Series and an Upper (typically porphyritic, olivine tholeiitic) Series. N–S and NE–SW trending antithetic faults give rise to ocean-facing fault-line scarps and landward-facing dip slopes. Dolerite sills, abundant beneath the lava pile, occasionally cut the Lower Series lavas. While dykes trend in various directions, a very prominent NE–SW swarm (mainly quartz tholeiitic) traverses Hold with Hope, deflecting to more nearly N–S across Gauss Halvø. A large volcanic centre (Myggbukta Complex) lies across the main dyke swarm in the vicinity of the deflection and may be genetically related to the swarm. The complex involves propylitized basaltic, rhyolitic and intermediate lavas and pyroclastic rocks, together with volcanogenic sediments, cut by a profusion of basic to acid intrusive sheets. Formation of this complex at a late stage in the volcanic history of the region was attended by subsidence and crustal down-sagging. The main dyke swarm, whose trend roughly parallels that of the spreading axes N and S of the Jan Mayen Fracture Zone, may reflect subordinate rifting to the W of the principal rift zones along which spreading was taking place. 30 km E of Myggbukta, the Kap Broer Ruys granophyre/felsite is a partially unroofed intrusion around which a broad metamorphic aureole has been superimposed on the Mesozoic and Tertiary sediments and lavas. The southern coastal region of Hold with Hope, connecting the Myggbukta and Kap Broer Ruys centres, may indicate a zone of crustal weakness which determined the initiation of the Jan Mayen Fracture Zone.

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