We present a revised tectonostratigraphy of the Jan Mayen microcontinent (JMMC) and its southern extent, with the focus on its relationship to the Greenland–Iceland–Faroe Ridge area and the Faroe–Iceland Fracture Zone. The microcontinent's Cenozoic evolution consists of six main phases corresponding to regional stratigraphic unconformities. Emplacement of Early Eocene plateau basalts at pre-break-up time (56–55 Ma), preceded the continental break-up (55 Ma) and the formation of seawards-dipping reflectors (SDRs) along the eastern and SE flanks of the JMMC. Simultaneously with SDR formation, orthogonal seafloor spreading initiated along the Ægir Ridge (Norway Basin) during the Early Eocene (C24n2r, 53.36 Ma to C22n, 49.3 Ma). Changes in plate motions at C21n (47.33 Ma) led to oblique seafloor spreading offset by transform faults and uplift along the microcontinent's southern flank. At C13n (33.2 Ma), spreading rates along the Ægir Ridge started to decrease, first south and then in the north. This was probably complemented by intra-continental extension within the JMMC, as indicated by the opening of the Jan Mayen Basin – a series of small pull-apart basins along the microcontinent's NW flank. JMMC was completely isolated when the mid-oceanic Kolbeinsey Ridge became fully established and the Ægir Ridge was abandoned between C7 and C6b (24–21.56 Ma).

This paper describes intraplate deformation and the palaeostress state along the East Greenland margin during the Paleocene between 65 and 55 myr ago, prior to the onset of the NE Atlantic spreading. It is shown that the pre-break-up deformation is the result of dip-oblique/strike-slip tectonics in the SE and compressive tectonics in the north. The reduced palaeostress tensors derived from inversion of the fault-slip data show that the maximum horizontal stress σ ₁ is compressive and the orientations of σ ₁ change from ENE–WSW in the south to NNE–SSW in the north. The reconstructed palaeostress trajectory map demonstrates that the σ ₁ orientations reflect the plate motion path and define small circles whereas the trends of the minimum horizontal stress σ ₃ converge and cluster around an area in the Arctic that is interpreted as the rotation pole of Greenland. The intraplate deformation, folding and uplift that affected the Greenland and European margins, the Barents Sea and the North Sea during the Paleocene can be explained by the counter-clockwise rotation of Greenland. The present paper calculates the pole of rotation of Greenland using the kinematics of brittle faults along the plate margin and the palaeostress derived from inversion of fault-slip data analysis as an indicator of motion path.