Note: First publ. in Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London, series A, vol. 337 (no. 1645)

Note: Front Cover -- Sedimentary Basins of Continental Margins and Cratons -- Copyright Page -- Table of Contents -- Chapter 1. MECHANISMS OF BASIN SUBSIDENCE - AN INTRODUCTORY REVIEW -- INTRODUCTION -- HYPOTHESES OF BASIN SUBSIDENCE MECHANISM -- TESTING THE HYPOTHESES -- ACKNOWLEDGEMENT -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 2. RHEOLOGY OF THE LITHOSPHERE - EXPERIMENTAL INDICATIONS -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- STRUCTURE, COMPOSITION AND TEMPERATURE OF THE LITHOSPHERE -- ELASTIC PROPERTIES AND FLEXURAL RIGIDITY OF THE LITHOSPHERE -- 'VISCOUS' PROPERTIES OF THE LITHOSPHERE -- CHOICE OF CREEP PARAMETERS -- MODELS OF LITHOSPHERE RHEOLOGY -- RHEOLOGY OF YOUNG CONTINENTAL MARGINS -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 3. FLEXURE OF THE LITHOSPHERE AND CONTINENTAL MARGIN BASINS -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- SEDIMENT LOADING AT A CONTINENTAL MARGIN -- 25 M.Y. GULF OF LION MARGIN -- DISCUSSION -- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 4. PLATFORM SUBSIDENCE MECHANISMS AND "EUSTATIC" SEA-LEVEL CHANGES -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- CALCULATION OF EUSTATIC EFFECTS -- EUSTATIC CHANGE AMPLITUDE -- CONCLUSIONS -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 5. THERMAL AND MECHANICAL EVOLUTION OF THE MICHIGAN BASIN -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- RHEOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS -- AXISYMMETRIC BENDING OF A LITHOSPHERIC PLATE -- GRAVITY -- THERMAL EVOLUTION OF THE BASIN -- BASIN FORMATION MODEL -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 6. FORMATION OF SEDIMENTARY BASINS OF GRABEN TYPE BY EXTENSION OF THE CONTINENTAL CRUST -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- OUTLINE OF PROPOSED MECHANISM -- PREDICTED WIDTH OF THE GRABEN -- ENERGY BUDGET OF WEDGE SUBSIDENCE MECHANISM -- DISCUSSION -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 7. MAJOR SYNCHRONOUS EVENTS IN CONTINENTAL SHELVES -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- INCEPTION OF SHELF DEVELOPMENT (PERMIAN) -- TAPHROGENIC SUBSIDENCE (TRIASSIC TO EARLY CRETACEOUS). , THE MID-CRETACEOUS CHANGE (APTIAN/ALBIAN) -- INTER CRATONIC BASIN AL SUBSIDENCE (LATE CRETACEOUS AND TERTIARY) -- SUMMARY -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 8. DEVELOPMENT OF GRABEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE INITIAL RUPTURES OF THE ATLANTIC OCEAN -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- CENTRAL ATLANTIC GRABEN -- SOUTH ATLANTIC GRABEN -- GRABEN OF THE BENUE TROUGH COMPLEX -- GRABEN OF THE GULF OF GUINEA AND THE NORTH COAST OF BRAZIL -- GRABEN BETWEEN IBERIA, ARMORICA AND THE GRAND BANKS -- LABRADOR SEA AND BAFFIN BAY GRABEN -- GRABEN OF NORTHWESTERN EUROPE -- GRABEN OF THE NORWEGIAN-GREENLAND SEA -- ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF MARGINAL GRABEN -- CONCLUSIONS -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 9. SEDIMENTARY BASINS OF THE ATLANTIC MARGIN OF NORTH AMERICA -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- MECHANICS OF BASIN FORMATION -- EVOLUTION OF U.S. ATLANTIC MARGIN BASINS -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 10. GEODYNAMIC SIGNIFICANCE OF SPASMODIC, CRETACEOUS, RAPID SUBSIDENCE RATES, CONTINENTAL SHELF, U.S.A. -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- NEW RESULTS -- POSSIBLE SOURCES OF ERROR IN THE DATA BASE -- SIGNIFICANCE -- ACKNOWLEDGMENT -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 11. OBSERVATIONS ON THE PROCESSES OF SEDIMENTARY BASIN FORMATION AT THE MARGINS OF SOUTHERN AFRICA -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- EVOLUTION OF THE SEDIMENTARY BASINS -- REGIONAL EVENTS -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 12. THE GEOSYNCLINAL PAIR AT THE CONTINENTAL MARGIN OF PERU -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- THE OLDER FRAMEWORK -- THE MESOZOIC SEQUENCE -- CONDITIONS OF BASIN FORMATION -- THE INTRUSIVES -- THE GEOTECTONIC CYCLE IN PERU -- DISCUSSION -- CONCLUSION -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 13. SEDIMENTARY FACIES AND THE ORIGINS OF BASIN SUBSIDENCE ALONG THE NORTHERN MARGIN OF THE SUPPOSED HERCYNIAN OCEAN -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- GENERAL ACCOUNT -- BRITISH AND IRISH BASINS -- MARITIME CANADIAN BASINS -- PREVIOUS HYPOTHESES FOR BASIN ORIGINS. , ORIGIN OF BRITISH/IRISH BASINS -- ORIGIN OF CANADIAN BASINS -- CONCLUSIONS -- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 14. EVOLUTION OF THE SVERDRUP BASIN, ARCTIC CANADA -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- GEOLOGICAL SETTING -- DATA SOURCES -- RESULTS -- SUMMARY AND GENERALIZATION OF SUBSIDENCE HISTORY -- INTERPRETATION -- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 15. THE CHAD BASIN: AN ACTIVE INTRA-CONTINENTAL BASIN -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- THE CHAD BASIN -- SEDIMENTS OF THE CHAD BASIN -- HIGH GROUND AND VOLCANIC ACTIVITY ON THE CHAD WATERSHED -- HYPOTHESIS OF ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF THE CHAD BASIN -- THE LITHOSPHERE OF THE CHAD BASIN -- POSSIBLE ANALOGY WITH THE MICHIGAN BASIN -- CONCLUSION -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 16. DEVONIAN BASINS OF WESTERN NORWAY - SEDIMENTARY RESPONSE TO TECTONISM AND TO VARYING TECTONIC CONTEXT -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- TECTONISM - THE FUNDAMENTAL CONTROL ON SEDIMENTATION -- COARSENING-UPWARDS SEQUENCE - THE BASIC RESPONSE TO AN EPISODE OF VERTICAL TECTONIC MOVEMENT -- CYCLIC SEDIMENTATION IN HORNELEN AND SOLUND BASINS -- SIGNS OF VARYING TECTONIC CONTEXT -- CONCLUSIONS -- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 17. GEOPHYSICAL STUDIES OF THE MAJOR SEDIMENTARY BASINS OF THE INDIAN CRATON, THEIR DEEP STRUCTURAL FEATURES AND EVOLUTION -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- CUDDAPAH BASIN -- VINDHYAN BASIN -- OTHER INTRA-CRATONIC BASINS -- CONCLUSION -- ACKNOWLEDGEMENT -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 18. DYNAMICS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE RUSSIAN PLATFORM STRUCTURES -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- HISTORY OF TECTONIC MOVEMENTS -- TYPES OF BASINS AND DOWNWARPING RATES -- COMPARISON WITH THE M-DISCONTINUITY TOPOGRAPHY -- CONCLUSIONS -- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 19. THE REGIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE TURANIAN PLATFORM AND ITS DEVELOPMENT -- ABSTRACT. , INTRODUCTION, METHODS, TECHNIQUES, MATERIALS STUDIED AND AREA DESCRIPTIONS -- RESULTS -- CONCLUSION -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 20. THE HISTORY AND THE DYNAMICS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE WEST SIBERIAN PLATFORM -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- STAGES OF TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT -- SOME FEATURES OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF PLATFORM UPLIFTS -- CONCLUSION -- ACKNOWLEDGEMENT -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 21. DEVELOPMENT OF MAIN STRUCTURES OF THE SIBERIAN PLATFORM: HISTORY AND DYNAMICS -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- METHODS OF INVESTIGATION -- RESULTS OF INVESTIGATIONS -- CONCLUSIONS -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 22. SEDIMENTARY BASINS OF THE EAST ANTARCTIC CRATON FROM GEOPHYSICAL EVIDENCE -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- TOPOGRAPHIC IDENTIFICATION OF BASINS -- EVIDENCE FOR SEDIMENTS -- BASIN STRUCTURE AND SEDIMENT AGE -- CONCLUSIONS -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- REFERENCES.