Delta Evolution German North Sea - Depth of Late Cenozoic Sediments

The maps show the recent depth of the Middle Miocene unconformity in meters below sea level as well as the tops of seismic units SU1 to SU7 in meters below sea level. The latter are seven mapped units identified above the Middle Miocene unconformity using seismic and borehole geophysical data. The publication "Late Cenozoic evolution of the German North Sea - Sedimentation in a subsiding basin" (Thöle et al., 2014) describes and documents these contents. Sedimentation in the southern North Sea was dominated from the middle Miocene into the Pleistocene by a delta system advancing from east to west, the so-called Eridanos Delta (sensu Overeem et al., 2001). The dimensions of this fossil delta are comparable to those of the largest delta systems on Earth today (Schwarz, 1996). The evolution of this depositional system has been the subject of numerous scientific studies in recent decades (e.g., Sörensen et al., 1997; Overeem et al., 2001; Kuhlmann, 2004), but these have focused mainly on the neighboring North Sea sectors and relatively little was known about the German part. However, for the overall understanding of the deltaic sedimentation prevailing in this time interval and its evolution, the German part is indispensable, since from the Upper Miocene until the late Pliocene, the main depositional area of the giant delta was predominantly located in the present-day German North Sea sector. Based on extensive seismic data and geophysical borehole information, a detailed mapping of the late Cenozoic delta deposits in the German North Sea sector has been carried out for the first time. The subdivision of the sedimentary sequence, which was previously only roughly subdivided or not subdivided at all, was carried out according to seismostratigraphic and sequence-stratigraphic concepts (e.g. Mitchum et al., 1977; Catuneanu, 2006). Then, seven regionally significant seismic horizons above the Middle Miocene unconformity were identified and temporally calibrated using new biostratigraphic dating. They subdivide the Late Cenozoic sedimentary sequence into seven main depositional units, namely SU1 to SU7. The units, each bounded at their base and top by prominent unconformities, reflect successive phases of delta evolution. Literature: Thöle, H., Gaedicke, C., Kuhlmann, G., and Reinhardt, L. (2014). Late Cenozoic sedimentary evolution of the German North Sea – A seismic stratigraphic approach: Newsletters on Stratigraphy, 47, (3), 299-329. Mitchum, R.M.J., Vail, P.R., Sangree, J.B. (1977). Seismic stratigraphy and global changes of sea-level, part 6: stratigraphic interpretation of seismic reflection patterns in depositional sequences. In: Payton, C. (Ed.), Seismic Stratigraphy Applications to Hydrocarbon Exploration. American Association of Petroleum Geologist Memoir, vol. 26. AAPG, Tulsa, pp. 117-133. Schwarz, C. (1996). Die Bohrungen 89/3, 89/4 und 89/9 auf dem deutschen Nordseeschelf - Sedimentologische und magnetostratigraphische Befunde sowie lithostratigraphische Konnektierung. In: Streif, H. (Editor), Deutsche Beiträge zur Quartärforschung in der südlichen Nordsee. Geologisches Jahrbuch, 146/Reihe A. Schweizerbart: 33-137. Sørensen, J. C., Gregersen U., Breiner M. und Michelsen O. (1997). High-frequency sequence stratigraphy of Upper Cenozoic deposits in the central and southeastern North Sea areas, Marine and Petroleum Geology, 14 (2), 99-123. Overeem, I., G. J. Weltje, C. Bishop-Kay, and S. B. Kroonenberg (2001). The Late Cenozoic Eridanos delta system in the Southern North Sea Basin: a climate signal in sediment supply?, Basin Research, 13 (3), 293-312. Kuhlmann, G. (2004). High resolution stratigraphy and paleoenvironmental changes in the southern North Sea during the Neogene. An integrated study of Late Cenozoic marine deposits from the northern part of the Dutch offshore area, cummulative thesis, 209 pp, Utrecht University, Utrecht. Catuneanu, O., 2006. Principles of Sequence Stratigraphy: New York, Elsevier, 386 p.

Citation proposal
(2013) . Delta Evolution German North Sea - Depth of Late Cenozoic Sediments. https://gdk.gdi-de.org/geonetwork/srv/api/records/4b167506-3186-493f-8c8d-6c55db7f8943

INSPIRE
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INSPIRE

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File identifier: 4b167506-3186-493f-8c8d-6c55db7f8943 XML

Hierarchy level: Dataset

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code: a3fad13d-dc8f-27a6-d9b0-11b12c6fdf7a

Metadata language: German

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Format: cps3

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Format: shp

Version: n/a

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Geoscientific information

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Coupled resource

Keywords

GEMET - INSPIRE themes, version 1.0 ( Theme )

Geology
Geologie

Other keywords

Keywords ( Theme )

GPDN
Geopotenzial Deutsche Nordsee
GeolDG

Geographic coverage

Temporal reference

Temporal extent

Date ( Creation ): 2013-11-26

Date ( Revision ): 2013-11-26

Date ( Publication ): 2013-11-26

Quality and validity

Lineage: Für die Kartierung standen ca. 30.000 km seismische 2D-Datensätze und ca. 4.000 km² seismische 3D-Datensätze zur Verfügung.

Conformity

Explanation: siehe dazu die angegebene Durchführungsbestimmung

Restrictions on access and use

Access constraints: Allgemeine Geschäftsbedingungen, siehe https://www.bgr.bund.de/AGB - General terms and conditions, see https://www.bgr.bund.de/AGB_en. Die bereitgestellten Informationen sind bei Weiterverwendung wie folgt zu zitieren: Datenquelle: BGR, LBEG und BSH, 2022