LATE CENOZOIC DELTA DEPOSITION IN THE GERMAN NORTH SEA

Within the framework of the GPDN project (www.geopotenzial-nordsee) we study the sedimentary evolution in the southern North Sea Basin during the Neogene. The Neogene sedimentary succession of the southern North Sea Basin is dominated by a large fluvio-deltaic system, also known as the “Eridanos delta system”. It drained the Fennoscandian and Baltic Shield through the present Baltic Sea and delivered huge amounts of sediments into the basin. The dimensions of the paleo-drainage area and the thickness of the deltaic deposits as seen in the present North Sea are comparable to those of the largest recent delta systems in the world (Overeem et al., 2001). An almost complete coverage of the offshore parts of the delta with high-quality 2D and 3D seismic data in the German North Sea, together with new biostratigraphic datings of well samples allow studying the delta system in unprecedented detail filling the gap between former Dutch and Danish studies. The combined data sets collected within the framework of the “GPDN” project and a previous BGR North Sea project enables us to image the detailed architecture of the prograding delta system, and to identify areas of main subsidence during the Neogene. Initial studies of the delta system have provided detail insights about the location of delta complexes, collapse of the delta slope, migration of depocentres through time and age of delta sequences.

Overeem, I., et al. (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.