Heijenrath Formation

Code
NUHT
Status
Formal (Bakker & Kisters 2003).
Lithological description

Flint-bearing clay and loam, sandy. Flint concentrations in a silty matrix.

Depositional setting

Eluvial, derived by in situ weathering (cf. Felder 1961) and solution of Cretaceous limestone (chalk) (mainly Gulpen and Vaals Formations) above the phreatic groundwater level.

Definition of lower boundary

Conformable contact with non-weathered limestone (Gulpen, Vaals and Maastricht Formations).

Definition of upper boundary

May be exposed at the surface. Sharp contact with loess (Schimmert Member, Boxtel Formation) or with fluvial gravelly sand (Beegden Formation). Locally, contact with cemented sand (Holset Formation).

Thickness indication
Up to 10 m, concentrated in dolines and karst pipes.
Geographical distribution
In sinkholes and other depressions in the southeasternmost Netherlands.
Regional correlation
North Sea: not present; UK: Clay-with-flints Formation; GER: ?; BEL: Clay-with-flints Formation.
Age
Pliocene - recent.
Holostratotype
Depth (thickness) AH:
7- 17 m (10 m) below land surface
Origin of name
Named after the village of Heijenrath, in the southeastern Netherlands.
Previous name(s)
Eluvial deposits (Kuyl 1980).
Reviewed by (date)
Dirk Munsterman (2018), Sytze van Heteren (2019).
References
Bakker, M.A.J., Kisters, P.J.M. 2003. Beschrijving lithostratigrafische eenheid. Nederlands Instituut voor Toegepaste Geowetenschappen TNO. Utrecht.
Felder, P.J. 1961. Het vuursteeneluvium in Zuid-Limburg. Grondboor & Hamer 15 (4), 337-344.
Kuyl, O.S. 1980. Toelichtingen bij de geologische kaart van Nederland 1:50.000. Blad Heerlen (62W oostelijke helft, 62O westelijke helft). Rijks Geologische Dienst, Haarlem.
Cite as
TNO-GDN ([YEAR]). Heijenrath Formation. In: Stratigraphic Nomenclature of the Netherlands, TNO – Geological Survey of the Netherlands. Accessed on [DATE] from http://acc.dinoloket.nl/en/stratigraphic-nomenclature/heijenrath-formation.