The information on this page is a summary description.
The full formal description is available here: Kattendijk Formation
Abbreviation
Kd
Parent unit
Child units
Lithological description
Dark grey to grey green, fine to medium fine, glauconiferous (around 20%) quartz sand, slightly clayey; sometimes intensely bioturbated, locally with an important amount of Ditrupa; shells mostly dispersed but sometimes concentrated in shell beds; large scale sedimentary structures limited to certain intervals, with throughs and sometimes intensely bioturbated foresets, basal gravel of rounded quartz and flint pebbles, together with shark teeth, sandstones, phosphatic nodules and rounded bones. The basal gravel may reach considerable (dm) thickness. Some typical molluscs for the Kattendijk Formation are Laevastarte omalii omalii, Pygocardia rustica tumida, Glycymeris obovata ringelei, Glossus humanus, Pecten grandis etc.
Age
Early Pliocene. See Deckers and Louwye (2020) and references therein.
Thickness
In the Campine area the thickness of this formation is rather uniform between 5 to 10 m (Deckers et al., 2019). In gully systems in the Port of Antwerp, it reaches maximum thicknesses of almost 15 m (Deckers & Louwye, 2020).
Area of occurrence
From the Waasland area in the west (Laga, 1971), across the City of Antwerp and Port of Antwerp areas into the western Campine area. It presumably covers the western Campine area up to roughly the SW-NE line between Beerse and Weelde in the east. Here, the boundary with the older, but lithologically similar Kasterlee Formation can be presumed, but remains rather difficult to pinpoint. The absence of the Kattendijk Formation in borehole Oud-Turnhout (GSB 017e0401, DOV kb8d17e-B497) to the east of Beerse is established by both litho- and biostratigraphic data (Buffel et al., 2001; Louwye & De Schepper, 2010).
Type locality
The stratotype section of the Kattendijk Formation selected by De Meuter and Laga (1976) was the temporary outcrop of the Verbindingsdok (GSB 028W0539; DOV kb15d28w-B603, described in detail by Cogels (1874). From 2.5 m to 6.25 m depth or translating to -1.00 m TAW to – 4.75 m TAW. Here, the Kattendijk Formation is located in between the Lillo and Berchem Formations. Three additional well-studied temporary outcrops are absolutely worth referring:
– The Tunnel Kanaaldok section of Laga (1972) (now named Tijsmanstunnel) (GSB 015W0304; DOV BGD015W0304; Kattendijk Formation between 23.5 m to 27 m depth or translating to -22 m TAW to -25.5 m TAW; Figure 54 1). The base of the Kattendijk Formation is not reached in the outcrop, but a nearby CPT (DOV GEO-20/034-S5) shows it at -27 m TAW, which is confirmed by nearby borehole (DOV GEO-61/2891-C).
– The Verrebroekdok section of Goolaerts (2000) (DOV TO-19990901; Kattendijk Formation between -11 m TAW to -18 m TAW; Figure 54 2). The base of the Kattendijk Formation is not reached, but a nearby CPT (DOV GEO-97/138-SM196) shows it at -23 m TAW.
– The Beverentunnel section of Janssen (1974) and Gaemers (1975) (DOV kb15d27e-B180; GSB 027e0176; Kattendijk Formation between 12.45 m to 21.3 m depth translating to -9.65 and -18.5 m TAW.
Type geophysical borehole is borehole Stabroek (GSB: 015W0216; DOV kb7d15w-B296) with the Kattendijk Formation from 36 m to 41 m depth (modified after Laga, 1979; Figure 54 3).
Alternative names
Authors
Deckers, J., Louwye, S., Goolaerts, S. & Everaert, S.
Date
01/09/2023
Cite as
Deckers, J., Louwye, S., Goolaerts, S. & Everaert, S., 2023. The Kattendijk Formation, 01/09/2023. National Commission for Stratigraphy Belgium. http://ncs.naturalsciences.be/lithostratigraphy/Kattendijk-Formation
