Relation of Palaeogene ridge and basin structures and vulcanicity in the Hebrides and Irish Sea regions of the British Isles to the opening of the North Atlantic

Comparison with the Red Sea and other regions suggests that a series of partly fault-bounded ridges and basins in the Hebridean and Irish Sea regions are related to tectonic uplift and collapse associated with Palacogene sea floor spreading in the North Atlantic. Three episodes of block faulting involving the formation of horsts and grabens are tentatively correlated with phases of Mesozoic and Tertiary ocean floor spreading.