A marine geophysical survey in the southwestern Barents Sea reveals an over‐all sequence of layered sediments. In the main part of this area relatively high seismic velocities (2.5–3.0 km/sec) occur near the sea floor, but a low‐velocity (1.85–2.2 km/sec) sedimentary wedge exists near the shelf edge. The low‐velocity section is believed to consist of material deposited during the Cenozoic when the Barents shelf was uplifted. However, the main portion of the sediments seem to be consolidated, of Mesozoic and Paleozoic age. Magnetic and gravity data suggest an irregular basement relief in the west and a smoother and probably deeper basement toward the east. The latter is associated with the Riphean structural complex, whereas the western area may reflect a continuation of the Caledonides.