Tonminerale des Nordseeraumes - ihr Verteilungsmuster in kreidezeitlichen bis pleistozaenen Sedimentabfolgen und in den Oberflaechensedimenten der heutigen Nordsee

Apart from local deviations, the distribution of clay minerals in the sediments of the southern parts of the North Sea region shows a surprisingly uniform development since Cretaceous times. The relative proportions of the clay minerals smectite, illite, kaolinite and chlorite in the individual sequences of sediments can therefore be used as an aid for stratigraphical classification. In contrast, the distribution of clay minerals in the surface sediments of the present day North Sea is characterized by a highly differentiated lateral pattern of distribution. This pattern of distribution can be explained by the heterogeneity of the source areas of the sediments of the present day North Sea and by the complexity of the water flows. The content of fine material in the sediments of the North Sea mainly stems from coastal erosion and from the sea bottom which had fallen dry during the Pleistocene cold periods. An incursion of finitely grained sediments form the Atlantic Ocean, the Baltic Sea and from the river is not to be recognized by the clay mineral spectra of the present day North Sea. (orig.)SIGLEAvailable from TIB Hannover: RN 5205(190) / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekDEGerman