Kattendijk Formation
| Kattendijk Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: [1][2] | |
| Type | Geological formation |
| Underlies | Various Quaternary aged formations |
| Overlies | Rupellian Clay Formation |
| Thickness | 5–15 m (16–49 ft)[2] |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Sand |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 51°18.5667′N 3°12.3675′E / 51.3094450°N 3.2061250°E[2] |
| Region | Flanders |
| Country | Belgium |
| Type section | |
| Year defined | De Heuter and Laga , 1976 |
  Kattendijk Formation (Belgium) | |
The Kattendijk Formation (also known as the Kattendijk Sands) is a five-million-year-old marine geological formation with outcrops north of Antwerp, Belgium.[2] The area was named by De Heuter and Laga in 1976.[3] The sands range from medium fine to coarse and contain a large proportion of shell grit.[4]
Geology
[edit]The clay is of Rupelian age and developed to a depth of approximately 70 m (230 ft) beneath a deposit of Neogene sand.[3] The formation has a Miocene epoch aquifer, while the clay level dates to the Pliocene.[5]
Palaeontology
[edit]Color key
|
Notes Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; |
Birds
[edit]| Birds of the Kattendijk Formation | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Material | Notes | Images |
| Alca | A. stewarti[6] | A patellar skeleton including humeri and ulnae | A relative of the modern razorbill |  | |
Cetaceans
[edit]| Cetaceans of the Kattendijk Formation | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Material | Notes | Images |
| Pliodelphis | P. doelensis[7] | A partial skull | A small oceanic dolphin | .png) | |
| Balaenella[8] | B. brachyrhynus | A partial skull | A relative of modern right whales | ||
| Casatia[8] | Inderterminate | A partial skeleton | A relative to the modern narwhal and beluga |  | |
Fish
[edit]Shark teeth have been found in the formation,[2] and bite marks attributed to Hexanchus griseus (bluntnose sixgill shark) and Carcharodon plicatilis have been reported on the fossil bones of cetaceans.[8]
References
[edit]- ↑ Deckers, J.; Louwye, S. (2020). "The architecture of the Kattendijk Formation and the implications on the early Pliocene depositional evolution of the southern margin of the North Sea Basin". Geologica Belgica. 23 (3–4): 323−331. Bibcode:2020GeolB..23..323D. doi:10.20341/gb.2020.017. hdl:1854/LU-8693840.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Kattendijk Formation – National Commission for Statigraphy Belgium". Retrieved 2026-06-14.
- 1 2 Schittekat, J. (2001). "Engineering geology of the Boom clay in the Antwerp area". In Holeyman, Alain E. (ed.). Screw Piles — Installation and Design in Stiff Clay. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9789058091925.
- ↑ van der Sijp, Jaap Willem Charles Marie, ed. (1973). New aspects of mineral and water resources in The Netherlands. The Hague: M. Nijhoff. OCLC 2367071.
- ↑ Coetsiers, M.; Walraevens, K. (2009). "The Neogene Aquifer, Flanders, Belgium". In Edmunds, W. Mike; Shand, Paul (eds.). Natural groundwater quality. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9781444300352.
- ↑ Martin, J. W. R.; Walker, C. A.; Bonser, R.; Dyke, Gareth J. (2000). "A new species of large auk from the Pliocene of Belgium". Oryctos. 3. J. W. R. Martin, C. A. Walker, R. Bonser, Gareth J. Dyke: 53–60. ISSN 1290-4805.
- ↑ Belluzzo, Alice; Lambert, Olivier (2021-04-07). "A new delphinid from the lower Pliocene of the North Sea and the early radiations of true dolphins". Fossil Record. 24 (1): 77–92. doi:10.5194/fr-24-77-2021. ISSN 2193-0074.
- 1 2 3 Lambert, Olivier; Stewart, John R.; Louwye, Stephen; Coninck, Luc De; Bosselaers, Mark; Crété, Lucile; Goolaerts, Stijn; Mallet, Christophe; Mollen, Frederik H. (2026-03-18). "Evidence for different shark species feeding on a diminutive right whale and a relative of the beluga in the Early Pliocene of the southern North Sea". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 71 (1): 69–84. doi:10.4202/app.01297.2025.
External links
[edit]- Cooreman, Philippe (1999). "The Antwerp Area in Belgium: wonderful fossil sites for Pliocene shells and vertebrates". Archived from the original on 5 March 2013. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
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