Provenance of the Lower Triassic Bunter Sandstone Formation: implications for distribution and architecture of aeolian vs. fluvial reservoirs in the North German Basin

• Published in: Basin Research
• Main Authors: Olivarius, Mette, Weibel, Rikke, Friis, Henrik, Boldreel, Lars Ole, Keulen, Nynke, Thomsen, Tonny B.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2017
• Subjects: Intracratonic basin; Zircon U–Pb geochronometry; Heavy mineral analysis; Seismic reflection data; Reservoir continuity; Sediment provenance; Fyn; Fennoscandian
• Online Access: https://pure.au.dk/portal/da/publications/provenance-of-the-lower-triassic-bunter-sandstone-formation-implications-for-distribution-and-architecture-of-aeolian-vs-fluvial-reservoirs-in-the-north-german-basin(1ca19d42-91bc-49dd-9db0-7ae3405efe46).html; https://doi.org/10.1111/bre.12140

Zircon U–Pb geochronometry, heavy mineral analyses and conventional seismic reflection data were used to interpret the provenance of the Lower Triassic Bunter Sandstone Formation. The succession was sampled in five Danish wells in the northern part of the North German Basin. The zircon ages found in the Bunter Sandstone show that sediment supply was mainly derived from the Ringkøbing-Fyn High and the Variscan belt and not from the Fennoscandian Shield as previously believed. Seismic reflection data document that the Ringkøbing-Fyn High was a local barrier for sediment transport. Provenance analysis is an invaluable tool of correlation and subdivision of the Bunter Sandstone in this marginal basin setting. This is because the succession includes many hiatuses so the cyclo-, magneto-, and bio-stratigraphic frameworks established elsewhere in the basin cannot readily be applied here. Zircon ages in the Volpriehausen Member (lower Bunter Sandstone) indicate derivation from source areas located to the south of the North German Basin that are of late Neoproterozoic to Carboniferous age. The dominant age population with a peak age of 337 Ma corresponds to the culmination of Variscan high-grade metamorphism, whereas a secondary age population with a peak at 300 Ma matches the timing of volcanism and magmatism at the Carboniferous/Permian boundary in the northern Variscan belt. The Ringkøbing-Fyn High also supplied some sediment tothe Volpriehausen Member. The zircon ages obtained from the Solling Member (upper Bunter Sandstone) match basement ages from the Ringkøbing-Fyn High and show that sediment contributions came mainly from the north. The age distributions are dominated by Mesoproterozoic zircon grains with a Sveconorwegian metamorphic overprint. The heavy mineral assemblage of the Solling Member is uniform and has a high garnet content compared to the contemporaneous sediments in the southern part of the North German Basin. This finding confirms that a local source supplied most of the sediment in the northern part of the basin. The most promising reservoir in the basin area is the aeolian Volpriehausen Member since the sandstone constitutes a lateral continuous unit. This is because sediment from the Variscan belt was transported by wind activity across the North German Basin when it was dried out. The alluvial to ephemeral fluvial Solling Member may be a good reservoir in the platform areas and marginal basin areas, but the variable sand content makes it difficult to predict the reservoir quality. Zircon U–Pb geochronometry, heavy mineral analyses and conventional seismic reflection data were used to interpret the provenance of the Lower Triassic Bunter Sandstone Formation. The succession was sampled in five Danish wells in the northern part of the North German Basin. The results show that sediment supply was mainly derived from the Ringkøbing-Fyn High situated north of the basin and from the Variscan belt located south of the basin. Seismic reflection data document that the Ringkøbing-Fyn High was a local barrier for sediment transport during the Early Triassic. Hence, the Fennoscandian Shield did not supply much sediment to the basin as opposed to what was previously believed. Sediment from the Variscan belt was transported by wind activity across the North German Basin when it was dried out during deposition of the aeolian part of the Volpriehausen Member (lower Bunter Sandstone). Fluvial sand was supplied from the Ringkøbing-Fyn High to the basin during precipitation events which occurred most frequently when the Solling Member was deposited (upper Bunter Sandstone). Late Neoproterozoic to Carboniferous zircon ages predominate in the Volpriehausen Member where the dominant age population with a peak age of 337 Ma corresponds to the culmination of Variscan high-grade metamorphism, whereas a secondary age population with a peak at 300 Ma matches the timing of volcanism and magmatism at the Carboniferous/Permian boundary in the northern Variscan belt. Parts of the basement in the Ringkøbing-Fyn High were outcropping during the Early Triassic and zircon ages similar to this Meso-proterozoic basement are present in the Bunter Sandstone. The heavy mineral assemblage of the Solling Member is uniform and has a high garnet content compared to the contemporaneous sedi- ments in the Norwegian-Danish Basin and in the southern part of the North German Basin. This finding confirms that a local source in the Ringkøbing-Fyn High supplied most of the fluvial sediment in the northern part of the North German Basin. The northernmost part of the Bunter Sandstone is situated on a platform area that is separated from the basin area by a broad WNW–ESE- oriented fault zone. The most promising reservoir in the basin area is the aeolian Volpriehausen Member since the sandstone has a wide lateral distribution and a constant thickness. The alluvial to ephemeral fluvial Solling Member may be a good reservoir in the platform area and marginal basin area, but the complex sand-body architecture makes it difficult to predict the reservoir quality.