Development of a seismic site-response zonation map for the Netherlands

Earthquake site response is an essential part of seismic hazard assessment, especially in densely populated areas. The shallow geology of the Netherlands consists of a very heterogeneous soft sediment cover, which has a strong effect on the amplitude of ground shaking. Even though the Netherlands is a low- to moderate-seismicity area, the seis...

Middle Miocene depositional evolution of the central Roer Valley Rift system

Correlations between bio- and/or lithostratigraphically analysed boreholes provide new insights on the late-early to early-late Miocene depositional evolution of the central Roer Valley Rift System (RVRS) as part of the southern North Sea Basin. This evolution started with a major regression that occurred in two steps, one during the late...

Pressure information system of the onshore and offshore Netherlands

Main objective of the project presented in this paper is to improve the quantitative knowledge and understanding of the distribution of pore fluid pressures and fluid dynamic conditions in the subsurface of onshore and offshore Netherlands. Such knowledge and understanding is of great importance for optimizing -responsible -exploration and use...

Geochemical reactivity of subsurface sediments as potential buffer to anthropogenic inputs: A strategy for regional characterization in the Netherlands

Purpose: Sedimentary aquifers are prone to anthropogenic disturbance. Measures aimed at mitigation or adaptation require sound information on the reactivity of soil/sediments towards the infiltrating water, as this determines the chemical quality of the groundwater and receiving surface waters. Here, we address the issues of relevant sediment...

Evidence of miocene crustal shortening in the North Qilian Shan from cenozoic stratigraphy of the Western Hexi Corridor, Gansu Province, China

New sedimentologic, stratigraphie, and compositional data from the Paleogene-Neogene stratigraphie succession exposed in the northwest Hexi Corridor and within the North Qilian Shan, provide evidence to suggest that crustal shortening in the North Qilian Shan fold-thrust belt initiated during die Miocene. The section is composed of four...

Silica sand resources in the Netherlands

Silica sand, (almost) pure quartz sand, is a valuable and scarce mineral resource within the shallow Dutch subsurface. High-grade deposits are exploited in the southeastemmost part of the country, as raw material for the glass, ceramic, chemical and other process industries. Dutch land-use policy requires that scarce mineral resources (including...

The confluence area of Rhine, Meuse, and Belgian rivers: Late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene fluvial history of the northern Lower Rhine Embayment

The fluvial history of the northern Lower Rhine Embayment shows interplay of three main river systems: Rhine, Meuse and smaller rivers draining the central and northern part of Belgium. The Pliocene and Early Pleistocene (pre-)Rhine and Meuse river systems had their conjunction in the southern part of the Roer Valley Graben between Aachen and...

Remarks on the palynology-based chronostratigraphical subdivision of Pliocene terrestrial deposits in NW-Europe

The chronostratigraphical subdivision of the Pliocene and Early Pleistocene as applied in terrestrial deposits of Central and NW-Europe largely relies on the pollen analytical investigations. This subdivision is almost entirely based on the interpretation of quantitative changes of the vegetational cover as recorded by the pollen content of...

Late Neogene continental stages in NW Europe revisited

Pollen records from fluvial deposits in The Netherlands have traditionally been used to establish continental stages for the Neogene in NW Europe. These stages are still widely used across Europe for stratigraphic correlations and palaeoclimatic studies. Despite their extensive use, the validity of this continental correlation scheme for the...

Introduction of the boxtel formation and implications for the quaternary lithostratigraphy of the Netherlands

Application of the traditional lithostratigraphic framework to subdivide the Middle- and Upper-Quaternary locally-derived fine-grained deposits in the Netherlands is problematic. Deposits of many formations cannot be distinguished from each other based on lithological characteristics and stratigraphic position alone. To overcome this problem, we...

Towards an improved lithostratigraphic subdivision of the chalk group in the Netherlands North Sea area - A seismic stratigraphic approach

In the Netherlands North Sea area, the Chalk Group has thus far been subdivided into the Cenomanian Texel Formation, the Turonian to Maastrichtian Ommelanden Formation and the Danian Ekofisk Formation. This paper describes the attempt to arrive at a more detailed lithostratigraphic subdivision for this area, particularly of the Ommelanden...

New stratigraphic insights in the 'Late Jurassic' of the Southern Central Sea Graben and Terschelling Basin (Dutch offshore) and related exploration potential

Middle Jurassic - Early Cretaceous strata are a target for oil and gas exploration in the Dutch offshore. During the initial stages of the 'Late Jurassic' offshore exploration, various oil fields and a few gas fields were discovered of which only one, the F3-FB field, proved to be economically viable. In the Northern Offshore of the Netherlands,...

Revised Upper Cenozoic stratigraphy of the Dutch sector of the North Sea Basin: Towards an integrated lithostratigraphic, seismostratigraphic and allostratigraphic approach

A revised Upper Cenozoic stratigraphic framework of the Dutch sector of the North Sea Basin is presented whereby offshore stratigraphic units are integrated or correlated with onshore units. The framework is based on an integrated stratigraphic approach that combines elements of lithostratigraphy, seismostratigraphy and allostratigraphy....

Onshore and offshore seismic and lithostratigraphic analysis of a deeply incised Quaternary buried valley system in the Northern Netherlands

High-resolution seismic data (onshore and offshore), geophysical borehole data as well as detailed lithofacies from airlift boreholes were acquired in northern Netherlands on and around the island of Ameland. Marine and land seismic data combined with information from land boreholes have been explored with the objective of providing a...

Characterisation and correlation of Tertiary seismostratigraphic units in the Roer Valley Graben

Within the Cenozoic sedimentary section of the Roer Valley Graben ten seismostratigraphic units have been identified. They are closely related to the lithological framework which makes it possible to recognize them also on well logs in this region. The Lower Tertiary seismic units, representing mainly marine sediments, have a uniform development...