Middle Jurassic domal uplift - development of transient mantle plume head leading to erosion of central North Sea, volcanism, and subsequent rift system. Late Jurassic to earliest Cretaceous extensional tectonics - led to fault-block rotations and formation of major structural traps within and adjacent to the Viking and Central Grabens. In contrast to areas west of Shetland, the phase of extensional basin development was followed by a phase of post-rift thermal subsidence in the North Sea during the later Cretaceous and Cenozoic.