An introduction to oceanic gateways: modern and ancient analogues, and their conceptual and economic implications

Oceanic gateways are fundamental controls on global ocean circulation, climate, sedimentation and biotic evolution, regulating the exchange of water masses, heat, nutrients and sediments between ocean basins. Their opening, closure and modification through geological time have profoundly influenced palaeoceanographic conditions, tectono-sedimentary evolution and environmental change. This Special Publication, Oceanic Gateways: Modern and Ancient Analogues and their Conceptual and Economic Implications , brings together a number of multidisciplinary studies. Contributions address tectonic controls on gateway evolution, oceanographic and sedimentary processes, polar gateways, data integration and multidisciplinary analysis, and implications for energy geosciences. Case studies from modern and ancient systems demonstrate how gateway geometry, depth and connectivity govern ocean circulation, bottom-current dynamics, contourite development and sediment distribution across a range of tectonic and climatic settings. Advances in seismic interpretation, virtual outcrop modelling, geochemistry, sedimentology, ichnology and numerical reconstructions provide new insights into the evolution of gateways and their associated depositional systems. Collectively, the studies highlight the role of oceanic gateways as active drivers of Earth system change and underscore their importance for reconstructing past environments, understanding climate evolution and assessing subsurface resource potential.