Abstract
Fluvial deposits of Miocene to Early Pleistocene age in Germany and the Netherlands were laid down in the delta of the Eridanos River System, but the exact provenance of this material continues to be a subject of discussion. The aim of the present study is twofold. Firstly, a comparison of Ordovician sponges in these deposits with those from northern Estonia and the St Petersburg region (Russia) demonstrates that these erratics originated from the drainage area of the Pra Neva, a tributary of the Eridanos. Secondly, the importance of Late Ordovician silicified boulders, which yield forms of preservation that are unknown in comparable fossils, preserved in situ, is outlined. Some recommendations for future studies are made.
Highlights
IntroductionThe composition and provenance of clastics in glacial deposits of Late Pleistocene age have been described in numerous studies
Baltoscandia contributed considerably as a source area to the formation of late Cenozoic sediments in northern Germany and the Netherlands
This has led to the erroneous view that all clastics from Baltoscandia should be considered to have been transported by glaciers
Summary
The composition and provenance of clastics in glacial deposits of Late Pleistocene age have been described in numerous studies This has led to the erroneous view that all clastics from Baltoscandia should be considered to have been transported by glaciers. Fluvial erratics, originating from the Baltic Shield, occur over an area which extends from Poland to far into the present North Sea, in deposits of Miocene to Early Pleistocene age. These strata were deposited by the Eridanos River System, which drained the Baltic Shield between Late Oligocene and Early Pleistocene times (Overeem et al 2001). The drainage area of this immense river system extended from the Gulf of Bothnia and Lapland in the north to large portions of mainland Sweden in the west, and to Finland, the Gulf of Finland, the Baltic States, and the Neva River area up to the White Sea in the east (Fig. 1)
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