Vol. 44 | 2020

The lower Miocene flint conglomerate, Jylland, Denmark: a result of the Savian tectonic phase

REVIEW ARTICLE | SHORT
Published November 2, 2020
Erik Skovbjerg Rasmussen
+
Karen Dybkjær
+
REVIEW ARTICLE | SHORT
Published November 2, 2020
Map showing modern Danish coast
Abstract
Downloads
References
Keywords

Miocene, Sedimentology, Biostratigraphy, North Sea, Tectonism, Dinocysts

License

Copyright (c) 2020 Erik Skovbjerg Rasmussen, Karen Dybkjær

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

GEUS Bulletin is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal published by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS). This article is distributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence, permitting free redistribution and reproduction for any purpose, even commercial, provided proper citation of the original work. Author(s) retain copyright over the article contents. Read the full open access policy.

Abstract

The early Miocene was an important period for the development of the eastern North Sea. Tectonism in North-West Europe resulted in uplift of the Scandinavian mountains, reactivation of salt structures, inversion of old graben structures and deposition of the most coarse-grained deposits in the Danish pre-Quaternary succession. Some of these deposits were later cemented into conglomerates. The deposits are common in the fluvial parts of the Billund Formation (Aquitanian) and the basal transgressive lag of the late Aquitanian – Burdigalian Klintinghoved Formation capping the Billund Formation. Questions remained as to the age of these deposits and what they infer about tectonic events in the region. This study reviews the geology of the flint-dominated conglomerates and presents the first dates for a sample of these unique deposits. We observe grain sizes up to 5 cm diameter. Palynological analyses place the sample as early Miocene. Some samples from the area have suggested a local source near active salt structures, associated with the uplift of the pre-Neogene sedimentary successions. We suggest that the common occurrences of flint clasts in the lower Miocene succession reveal significant erosion of Upper Cretaceous and Danian chalk, likely associated with the uplift of the Scandinavian lowlands during the Savian tectonic phase, early Miocene.

Keywords

Miocene, Sedimentology, Biostratigraphy, North Sea, Tectonism, Dinocysts

License

Copyright (c) 2020 Erik Skovbjerg Rasmussen, Karen Dybkjær

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

GEUS Bulletin is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal published by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS). This article is distributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence, permitting free redistribution and reproduction for any purpose, even commercial, provided proper citation of the original work. Author(s) retain copyright over the article contents. Read the full open access policy.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.
Read More In This Issue

References