Abstract
The Danish North Sea coast is a dynamic sedimentary environment experiencing erosion, transport and re-deposition of sand along the coast. Because of the natural and economic value of the coastal zone expensive protection measures such as nourishment of the coast are undertaken. The present study utilises provenance analysis techniques developed at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) to characterise the coastal sand bodies by fingerprinting the heavy minerals in the sand. The aims of the study are to test these new methods in an active sedimentary environment and to develop an understanding of transport pathways along the coast. A total of c. 40 samples have been collected and analysed as part of the project. This paper gives an outline of the project and provides examples of the methods used based on six samples from the Husby profile on the west coast of Jylland (Fig. 1). The study is a collaboration project involving GEUS and the Department of Geography and Geology (DGG) at Copenhagen University; GEUS is responsible for the analyses and DGG for sample collection.
Highlights
The Danish North Sea coast is a dynamic sedimentary environment experiencing erosion, transport and re-deposition of sand along the coast
As the heavy minerals used in provenance analysis have a wide range of densities and shapes, it is important to include these properties in studies of their dynamics in the environment
GEUS has focused on developing computer-controlled scanning electron microscopy (CCSEM), which provides information on mineralogy and mineral chemistry together with grain size and shape (Keulen et al 2008)
Summary
Samples have been collected from three settings. (1) From coastal cliffs that are being actively eroded and supply sediment to the littoral drift system along the coast of Jylland. (1) From coastal cliffs that are being actively eroded and supply sediment to the littoral drift system along the coast of Jylland. The sampling aims at fingerprinting some of the potential sources of sand mainly from till beds and glacio-fluvial sediments. (2) From four profiles orientated perpendicular to the coast; the samples represent lower shoreface, upper shoreface, beach and dunes (profiles at Bovbjerg, Husby, Vejers and Skallingen; Fig. 1). The aim is to study the variation of the sediment fingerprint between the different sedimentary facies along the coast as well as the variation within identical sedimentary environments. The profiles are situated along the southward-directed net littoral drift of sand that exists between Bovbjerg and Skallingen. (3) From the Vejers/ Skallingen/Grådyb area samples will be analysed to investigate if the littoral drift sediment bypasses Horns Rev and to characterise the sedi- The profiles are situated along the southward-directed net littoral drift of sand that exists between Bovbjerg and Skallingen. (3) From the Vejers/ Skallingen/Grådyb area samples will be analysed to investigate if the littoral drift sediment bypasses Horns Rev and to characterise the sedi-
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