Dj. Huisman et al., Spatial prediction of the variability of Early Pleistocene subsurface sediments in the Netherlands - Part 1: Heavy minerals, GEOL MIJNB, 79(4), 2000, pp. 373-380
Citations number
13
Categorie Soggetti
Earth Sciences
Journal title
GEOLOGIE EN MIJNBOUW-NETHERLANDS JOURNAL OF GEOSCIENCES
We investigated the spatial variability of the heavy-mineral composition in
the Early Pleistocene fluviatile Kedichem Formation in the Netherlands in
order to meet the demand for more information about subsurface sediment com
position. We first determined the spatial extension and thickness of the se
diment body, then used Fuzzy clustering techniques on a database containing
approx. 2000 heavy-mineral counts from the Kedichem Formation to map the s
patial extension of the various sediment provenances within the formation.
Three clusters could be discerned, one representing a combined Meuse-Scheld
t source, the other two representing a mixed Rhine-Baltic source. We made s
lice maps at several depths through the formation, and plotted the cluster
memberships.
The maps show an overall dominance of the Meuse-Scheldt source in the south
of the Netherlands, whereas the Rhine-Baltic source occurs mainly in the c
entral Netherlands. The methods employed show that it is possible to map an
d study the 3-D variation in heavy-mineral composition and hence sediment p
rovenance in the Dutch subsurface with the use of simple statistical and vi
sualization techniques.