Palaeogeographic maps of Moscovian and Artinskian; contributions from the Netherlands

Mark GELUK Rijks Geologische Dienst, P. O. Box 157 2000AD Haarlem (The Netherlands)

Geluk M. 1997. — Palaeogeographic maps of Moscovian and Artinskian; contributions from the Netherlands, in Crasquin-Soleau S. & De Wever P. (eds), Peri-Tethys: stratigraphie cor­ relations, Geodiversitas 19 (2) : 229-234.

ABSTRACT Frequent marine bands in the eatly Westphalian of the Nethetlands are KEYWORDS replaced by peat matshes followed upwards by a braided-river/fluvial-plain Westphalian, Stephanian, system in the late Westphalian-Stephanian. Sediments are limited to the Lower Rotliegende, depocentets Stephanian. Asselian to Artinskian deposits ate tepresented by Variscan front, Lower Rotliegende volcanoclastics, basaltic volcanics and sediments of conti­ basins, tectofacies. nental environment.

RÉSUMÉ De nombreux niveaux marins du Westphalien inférieur des Pays-Bas sont MOTS CLES remplacés vers le haut par des tourbes marécageuses suivies par des systèmes Westphalien, Stéphanien, fluviátiles de plaine deltaïque au Westphalien supétieut-Stephanien. Les sédi­ Rotliegende inférieur, ments stéphaniens sont limités aux dépôts-centres. Les niveaux de l'Asselien à front varisque, bassins, l'Artinskien sont représentés par des volcanoclastites du Rotliegende tectofacies. Inférieur, des basaltes et des sédiments d'environnement continental.

GEODIVERSITAS • 1997 • 19(2) 229 Geluk M.

MOSCOVIAN TO GZHELIAN sediments have been preserved; in the uplifted areas, sediment thicknesses of this interval were The Moscovian deposits are represented, accor­ probably not over 750 m and presumably consist ding to the current ideas, by approximately the of fine-grained sediments. interval of the Westphalian C to Stephanian. The constraint is provided by the age dating of At the onset of the Westphalian C, extensive peat Lippolt et al. (1984), which revealed an age of marshes existed over the entire Netherlands off­ 311 Ma for the base of the Westphalian C. The shore and onshore areas. Marine bands, which exact chronostratigraphic position of the youn­ frequently occurred in the Westphalian A and B, gest sediments (? Stephanian) in the eastern occured only sporadically in the Early Netherlands and adjacent part of Germany is still Westphalian C. During the late Westphalian C, debated, since the palynological assemblages owing to an abrupt influx of coarser grained clearly indicate a younger age (Autunian) than sediments, these marshes were replaced by an the paleobotanical assemblages (Westphalian D; extensive braided-river/fluvial-plain system. Van der Zwan et al. 1993). There is a tendency Sediments came basically from three different in Germany to place these sediments in the source areas, the Rhenish Massif in Germany in youngest part of the Carboniferous, the Gzhelian the southeast, the Mid North Sea High in the (Plein 1995). During the Moscovian, an impor­ north, and the Brabant Massif to the south tant change in climate occurred from humid tro­ (Fig. 2). Thete are minor differences in the onset pical conditions to a (semi-) arid climate, as and duration of these sandy influxes between the documented by a change in soil type (Selter different parts of the basin. These sandy sediments 1989; Van der Zwan et al. 1993). were replaced in the early Westphalian D again by fine-grained sedimentation. The only exception is In broad terms, the development of the formed by the Campine Basin in north-eastern Westphalian C to Stephanian deposits is quite Belgium and the south-eastern Netherlands, similar throughout the onshore and offshore where the sandy fluvial deposits are limited to the areas; the main difference consists of the amount early Westphalian D interval (Paproth et al. of later erosion of the Carboniferous. For the 1983). In other areas, during the Westphalian D Netherlands, one reference section has been deposition took place on a semi-arid flood-plain compiled for the eastern Netherlands (Fig. 1). with sheet floods and braided rivers. Soil types indicate that these flood-plains became better drained during this timespan. The present-day outline of the Moscovian depo­ sits (Fig. 2) in the Netherlands is mainly control­ led by erosion and uplift owing to the Variscan The occurrence of the ? Stephanian deposits is deformation phase during the youngest limited to the depocentres of the Moscovian Carboniferous. In large part of the Netherlands basins in the eastern Netherlands and probably onshore and western offshore areas Bashkirian the northern Netherlands offshore area. An (Westfalian A/B) deposits underlie the Permian unconformable contact of the Stephanian with the rocks. Compared to the Westphalian A and B, underlying Westphalian D sediments is assumed the younger Westphalian and Stephanian have (Tantow 1993; Van Adrichem, Boogaert & been deposited under increasing tectonic instabi­ Kouwe 1993-1996). Stephanian deposits are for­ lity as the Variscan front prograded northwatd. med by well-drained distal floodplain deposits, This resulted in the intermittent tectonic activity with minor braided channels (Van der Zwan of main fault zones, and at the end of the 1993). Carboniferous led to the deformation of the fore­ land-basin infill. The Variscan phase is conside­ red to have accentuated the differences in ASSELIAN TO ARTINSKIAN subsidence during the Moscovian. In the basins, up to 1200 m of Westphalian C to Stephanian The Asselian to Artinskian deposits in the

230 GEODIVERSITAS • 1997 • 19(2) Palaeogeographic maps of Moscovian and Artinskian

52° 40 N 7° E

Ages according to Odin (1994), Lippolt et al. (1984}

Marine stages Continental stages Lithology Thickness

Kungurian

Ghelian

Stephanian

^1

Westph. D

Westph. C

Westph. A/B

Rijks Geologische Dienst rgd

FIG. 1. — Reference columnar section for eastern Netherlands. See Vai & Venturini (this volume) for legend.

GEODIVERSITAS • 1997 • 19(2) 231 Geluk M.

Moscovian to Gzelian i 1 1 1 r

3°E 4°E 5°E 6°E 7°E

Rijks Geologische Dienst rgd

FIG. 2. — Deposits of Moscovian age in the Netherlands. See Vai & Venturlni (this volume) for legend.

GEODIVERSITAS • 1997 • 19(2) Palaeogeographic maps of Moscovian and Artinskian

Asselian to Artinskian I I I I I r~ 3'E 4"E 5'E 8'E 7'E

Rijks Geologische Dienst RGD

FIG. 3. — Lower Rotliegende volcanoclastlcs of Asselian to Artinskian age In the Netherland onshore and offshore areas. See Vai & Venturini (this volume) for legend.

GEODIVERSITAS • 1997 • 19(2) 233 Geluk M.

Netherlands are represented only in small areas REFERENCES of the Netherlands by sediments. The deposits of this interval are most likely represented by the Lippolt H. J., Hess J. C. & Burger K. 1984. — Lower Rotliegend volcanoclastics. These volca- Isotopische Alter von pyroklastischen Sanidien aus noclastics occur in two separate areas, namely in Kaolin-Kohlentonsteine aus Korrelationmarken fur the Ems Low in the eastern Netherlands onshore das mitteleuropaische Oberkarbon. Fortschritte in der Geologie von Rheinland und Westfalen 32: 119-150. area and the Central North Sea Graben in the Paproth E., Dusar M., Bless M. J. M., Boukaert J., offshore area (Fig. 3). Volcanic activity in the Delmer A., Fairon-Demaret M., Houleberghs É., Netherlands and Germany occurred in response Laloux M., Pierart P., Somers Y., Streel M., Thorez J. to wrench movements along Variscan fault zones & Tricot J. 1983. — Bio- and lithostratigraphic sub­ (Ziegler 1990). division of the Silesian in Belgium - a review. Annales de la Société géologique de Belgique 106: 241 -283. The volcanoclastics in the Ems Low represent Plein E. 1995. — Norddeutsches Rotliegend-becken; the western outliers of a more extensive area of Rotliegend-Monographie Teil II, in Plein E. (ed.), volcanic activity in Germany (Plein 1995). The Stratigraphie von Deutschland I, Courier volcanoclastics consist of red-brown to green spi- Forschungs-Institut Senckenberg 183, 193 p. litic, basaltic volcanics and mudstones. Several Seiter V. 1990. — Sedimentologie und Klimaentwick­ lung im Westfal CID und Stephan des nordwestdeut­ stacked lava flows occur in the succession. The schen Oberkarbon-Beckens. DGMK-Bericht 384-4, thickness of the volcanics reaches a maximum of Hamburg, 311p. 80 m. The age remains speculative, but, based on Tantow M. S. 1993. — Stratigraphie und seismisches indirect evidence, is assumed to be Asselian Erscheinungsbild des Oberkarbons (Westfal, (Plein 1995). Stefan), Emsland. Berliner Geowissenschaften Abhandlungen 148: 66 p. In the Central North Sea Graben the sequence Van Adrichem Boogaert H. A. & Kouwe W. F. P. reaches a thickness of almost 150 m. The volca­ 1993-1996. — Stratigraphie nomenclature of the nics consist here of massive tuffs and lavas up to Netherlands, revision and update by RGD and several tens of meters thick, interbedded with NOGEPA. Mededelingen Rijks Geologische Dienst 50. Van der Zwan C. J., van de Laar J. G. M., Pagnier claystones and subordinate sandstones. No H. J. M. & van Amerom H. W. J. 1993. — reliable datings are available for these volcanics Palynological, ecological and climatological synthe­ (Plein 1995). They are assumed to have an sis of the Upper Carboniferous of the well De Asselian age. Lutte-6 (eastern Netherlands). Comptes Rendus XII Following the Asselian, a long period of non- ICC-P, Buenos Aires, volume 1 : 167-186 Ziegler P. A. 1990. — Geological atlas of western and deposition followed; sedimention was only resu­ central Europe; second and completely revised edition. med during the youngest stage of the Permian, Shell Internationale Petroleum Maatschappij, The the Tatarian. Hague, 239 p.

Submitted for publication on 5 April 1996; accepted on 21 October 1996.

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