Sequence Stratigraphy of the North German Rotliegende

Abstract

According to magnetostratigraphic data, the upper Rotliegende sedimentary sequence in northern Germany was deposited over a period of [approximately] 10 million yr. The sedimentary sequence can be subdivided into time-equivalent strata based on maximum flooding surfaces (MFS), which are correlatable from the Dutch to the Polish border. At least 23 major sedimentary cycles of an average duration of about 400,000 yr can be distinguished in wells that are drilled in or close to the center of the Rotliegende basin in the southern North Sea. Each major cycle can be further subdivided into numerous smaller ones, which are interpreted to correspond to the Milankovitch periodicities.