The information on this page is a summary description.
The full formal description is available here: Molenbeersel Formation
Abbreviation
Mn
Parent unit
Child units
Lithological description
The unit consists of brown-grey to grey-green, clay- and shell-bearing silt and fine-grained sand. The unit holds glauconite and lignite fragments. The central part of the formation is richest in glauconite and is also micaceous. Lignite fragments are distinctly present in the upper part.
Age
No absolute or relative dating is available for the Molenbeersel Formation. Based on the geophysical correlation with the Vrijherenberg Sand, Deckers & Munsterman (2020) infer a Serravallian age (Figure 0 1).
Thickness
The Molenbeersel Formation has a thickness of c. 156 m in the Molenbeersel borehole (DOV kb18d49w-B225; GSB 049W0225; Figure 0 1).
Area of occurrence
The Molenbeersel Formation is restricted to the differentially subsiding Roer Valley Graben in the eastern part of the Limburg province.
Type locality
The type locality is Molenbeersel in the easternmost part of the Limburg province. The type section is between 369 m and 525 m depth in the Molenbeersel borehole (DOV kb18d49w-B225; GSB 049W0225). The gamma ray values in the Molenbeersel Formation interval increase from a basal gravel towards a maximum in the central part (Figure 0 1), which is richest in glauconite and shells (including Glycymeris) and is also micaceous. From this maximum, a decrease takes place in the gamma-ray values towards the top section (Figure 0 1), which coincides with an increase in lignite.
Alternative names
Authors
Louwye, S. & Deckers, J.
Date
01/09/2023
Cite as
Louwye, S. & Deckers, J., 2023. The Molenbeersel Formation, 01/09/2023. National Commission for Stratigraphy Belgium. http://ncs.naturalsciences.be/lithostratigraphy/Molenbeersel-Formation
