Litho- and biostratigraphy of the Opalinus Clay and bounding formations in the Mont Terri rock laboratory (Switzerland)

Hostettler, Bernhard; Reisdorf, Achim G.; Jaeggi, David; Deplazes, Gaudenz; Bläsi, Hansruedi; Morard, Alain; Feist-Burkhardt, Susanne; Waltschew, Anton; Dietze, Volker; Menkveld-Gfeller, Ursula

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-70458-6_2

Cited by 14 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…The late Palaeozoic clastic sediments are covered by 800 m of Mesozoic sandstones, limestones, dolomites, evaporites, marls and mudrocks, and locally by Cenozoic Molasse and Quaternary fluvio-glacial sediments (Nussbaum et al 2011). Situated 300 m below the surface, the rock laboratory is entirely located within the 130 m thick Opalinus Clay (Hostettler et al 2017). Previous studies estimated however an apparent thickness of about 150 m (Bläsi et al 1991) to 160 m (Bossart and Thury 2008).…”

Section: Geographical and Geological Settingmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Bläsi 1987;Matter et al 1987Matter et al , 1988Nagra 2001Nagra , 2002. In the Mont Terri area, five lithostratigraphic subunits are characterized by three lithofacies (Bläsi et al 1991;Hostettler et al 2017;Fig. 3): (lower) shaly facies; carbonate-rich sandy facies; (lower) sandy facies; (upper) shaly facies and (upper) sandy facies.…”

Section: Geographical and Geological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous petrographic studies in the Mont Terri area showed that the Opalinus Clay is composed of five subunits characterized by three distinctive lithofacies (Bläsi et al 1991;Hostettler et al 2017). Further to the east, the Opalinus Clay shows different lithofacies successions (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…This W-E lateral variability suggests that sediment deposition in the Mont Terri area may have been influenced by different factors (e.g. Hostettler et al 2017). Nonetheless, a depositional model has not been established yet for this area.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Multi-proxy facies analysis of the Opalinus Clay and depositional implications (Mont Terri rock laboratory, Switzerland)

Lauper

Jaeggi²,

Deplazes

et al. 2018

Swiss J Geosci

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Located in NW Switzerland, the Mont Terri rock laboratory is a research facility primarily investigating the Opalinus Clay as potential host rock for deep geological disposal of radioactive waste. In the Mont Terri area, this Jurassic shale formation is characterized by three distinctive lithofacies: a shaly facies, a carbonate-rich sandy facies and a sandy facies. However, the lithological variability at dm-to cm-scale is not yet fully understood and a detailed lithofacies characterization is currently lacking. Within the present study, petrographic descriptions at micro-and macro-scale, geophysical core logging (P-wave velocity and gamma-ray density), geochemical core logging (X-ray fluorescence) and organic matter quantification (Rock-Eval pyrolysis) were combined on a 27.6 m long Opalinus Clay drillcore comprising the three major lithofacies. The high-resolution investigation of the core resulted into a refinement of the threefold lithofacies classification, and revealed high intra-facies heterogeneity. Five subfacies were defined and linked to distinctive depositional regimes. The studied succession is interpreted as a shallowing-upward trend within a storm-wave-dominated epicontinental sea characterized by relative shallow water depths.

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Section: Geographical and Geological Settingmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Geographical and Geological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Multi-proxy facies analysis of the Opalinus Clay and depositional implications (Mont Terri rock laboratory, Switzerland)

Lauper

Jaeggi²,

Deplazes

et al. 2018

Swiss J Geosci

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“…1). All three jaws are from the lower part of the Opalinus Clay Formation, which is early Aalenian in age, Leioceras opalinum Subzone (earliest Middle Jurassic; further to the west and northwest, deposition of the Opalinus Clay Formation already started in the late Toarcian; Reisdorf et al 2014;Hostettler et al 2017). Various rostra were also collected by WE between 1985 and 1987 during field work for his dissertation at the localities Eriwies near Schinznach (canton Aargau), Fasiswald near Hägendorf (canton Solothurn) and Tenterenberg near Siblingen (canton Schaffhausen; Fig.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Jaws of a large belemnite and an ammonite from the Aalenian (Middle Jurassic) of Switzerland

et al. 2020

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Although belemnite rostra can be quite abundant in Jurassic and Cretaceous strata, the record of belemnite jaws was limited to a few specimens from Germany and Russia. Here, we describe and figure three cephalopod jaws from the Middle Jurassic Opalinus Clay of northern Switzerland. Although flattened, the carbonaceous fossils display enough morphological information to rule out an ammonoid, nautiloid or octobrachian origin of the two larger jaws. Their similarities to belemnite jaws from Germany and Russia conforms with our interpretation of these specimens as belemnite jaws. Based on their rather large size, we tentatively assign these two jaws to the megateuthidid Acrocoelites conoideus. The third jaw is a rather small upper jaw of an ammonoid. Since Leioceras opalinum is by far the most common ammonite in this unit in northern Switzerland, we tentatively suggest that the upper jaw belongs to this species.

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Geochemical fingerprinting of key lithologies and depositional processes across the upper boundary of the Opalinus Clay (Aalenian, Middle Jurassic, northern Switzerland)

Lauper

Deplazes

Vogel

et al. 2020

The Depositional Record

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The Opalinus Clay is an argillaceous to silty mudstone formation, notable in Switzerland as the selected host rock for deep geological disposal of radioactive waste. Its upper bounding unit (Passwang Formation and eastern equivalents) is composed of successions of mudstone, sandy bioclastic marl and limestone separated by ooidal ironstone beds. The lithostratigraphic transition is diachronous across northern Switzerland and shows high vertical and lateral lithological variability. To constrain this variability into predictive models, and to identify horizons with properties that could potentially influence radionuclide mobility, the sedimentological and diagenetic processes involved in the genesis of this transition have to be investigated. The present study aims at testing the applicability of X‐ray fluorescence chemostratigraphy to characterise the mixed carbonate–siliciclastic units and understand the complex genesis of the lithostratigraphic transition from the Opalinus Clay towards its upper bounding unit. Sediment drill cores from four locations across northern Switzerland (Mont Terri, Riniken, Weiach and Benken) are analysed using high‐resolution X‐ray fluorescence core scanning. Data are compared to petrographic and additional geochemical data sets (inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X‐ray analysis, micro‐X‐ray fluorescence mapping) obtained from powdered samples, thin section analyses and drill core slabs. The results demonstrate that the combination of these rapid and non‐destructive measurements along with multivariate data analysis allows the fast and objective classification of lithofacies along complex sedimentary successions. Moreover, it provides quantitative means for differentiating between prominent depositional and post‐depositional processes. The lithostratigraphic transition has been traced by the use of specific elemental proxies as a discontinuity, and its genesis linked to sediment bypassing.

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Litho- and biostratigraphy of the Opalinus Clay and bounding formations in the Mont Terri rock laboratory (Switzerland)

Cited by 14 publications

References 9 publications

Multi-proxy facies analysis of the Opalinus Clay and depositional implications (Mont Terri rock laboratory, Switzerland)

Multi-proxy facies analysis of the Opalinus Clay and depositional implications (Mont Terri rock laboratory, Switzerland)

Jaws of a large belemnite and an ammonite from the Aalenian (Middle Jurassic) of Switzerland

Geochemical fingerprinting of key lithologies and depositional processes across the upper boundary of the Opalinus Clay (Aalenian, Middle Jurassic, northern Switzerland)

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