B. Tucholke's research on the Newfoundland margin and Newfoundland-Iberia rift has been supported by U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Grants OCE98-19053, OCE02-21012, OCE03-26714, and OCE06-47035, by Joint Oceanographic Institutions (JOI)/U.S. Science Support Program (USSSP) F001846, and by the Henry Bryant Bigelow Chair in Oceanography at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. J.-C. Sibuet thanks Institut Francais de Recherche pour l'Exploration de la Mer (IFREMER) and ODP-France for their constant support during Leg 210 operations and postcruise studies. This research is based on samples obtained by the Ocean Drilling Program, which is sponsored by the U.S. NSF and participating countries under management of JOI, Inc. We thank O. Müntener for helpful comments on parts of the initial manuscript. We also thank A.M. Goodliffe and R.B. Whitmarsh for reviewing the manuscript; detailed comments by R.B. Whitmarsh were particularly helpful in clarifying many points in the final version.