Qualitative and quantitative mineralogical composition of the Rupelian Boom Clay in Belgium

Zeelmaekers, Edwin; Honty, M.; Derkowski, Arkadiusz; Środoń, Jan; Craen, Mieke De; Vandenberghe, Noël; Adriaens, Rieko; Ufer, Kristian; Wouters, Laurent

doi:10.1180/claymin.2015.050.2.08

Cited by 43 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…using X-ray diffractometry (Cornélis, 2001;Zeelmaekers et al, 2015) and correspond with results using a similar methodology for the southern Netherlands in a recent study (Koenen & Griffioen, 2016). A number of samples taken from the Boom Clay in well MOL-1 and from the Underground Research Facility in Mol contain 2.4-53.4% in the grain-size fraction <2 µm, using the sedimentation method (Honty, 2008).…”

Section: Clay Contentsupporting

confidence: 59%

The Rupel Clay Member in the Netherlands: towards a comprehensive understanding of its geometry and depositional environment

Vis¹,

Verweij²,

Koenen³

2016

Netherlands Journal of Geosciences

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This study presents the 3-D geometry of the Oligocene Rupel Clay Member and a review of its depositional environment based on new and published data. The Rupel Clay Member (RCM) is a clay layer in the Dutch subsurface which is informally known as the Boom Clay. New depth and thickness maps show that the member is present in nearly the whole subsurface of the onshore Netherlands to a depth of about 1500 m. The thickness of the member is variable but rarely exceeds 125 m. We identified three subunits: RCM-U, with a thickness of 15–40 m; RCM-M, with a thickness of 40–90 m; and RCM-L with a thickness of 25–50 m. The Rupel Clay Member is not a homogeneous clay; both vertical and lateral grain-size trends are present. These trends match with general palaeogeographic trends which foresee near-shore facies in the south and southeast of the onshore Netherlands and a more distal setting when moving northward. The three subunits are correlated with global climatic and regional tectonic events, which have mainly affected marginal facies. Faults are known to cut through the clay layer, but have not been mapped. A mismatch of lithostratigraphic nomenclature between the Netherlands and neighbouring countries is present. Part of the solution for this mismatch lies in the proper interpretation of well data in the Netherlands, both on- and offshore.

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Section: Clay Contentsupporting

confidence: 59%

The Rupel Clay Member in the Netherlands: towards a comprehensive understanding of its geometry and depositional environment

Vis¹,

Verweij²,

Koenen³

2016

Netherlands Journal of Geosciences

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“…The methodology used to obtain these parameters is described by Wersin et al (2013) for Opalinus Clay, and by Zeelmaekers et al (2015) and Aertsens (2011) for Boom Clay. As the sample Callovo-Oxfordian Clay is still in use, characterization has not yet been carried out.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measuring diffusion coefficients of dissolved He and Ar in three potential clay host formations: Boom Clay, Callovo-Oxfordian Clay and Opalinus Clay

Jacops

Maes

Bruggeman

2016

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For the long-term management of high-and intermediate-level radioactive waste and/ or spent fuel, many countries prefer disposal in a geological repository. In Belgium, Switzerland and France, argillaceous formations are being explored as potential host formations for this purpose. In this context, knowledge of the diffusion coefficient of He is relevant within two research areas: first, diffusion coefficients are used in safety calculations to evaluate the balance between gas generation (mainly H 2 ) and gas dissipation; and, second, the diffusion coefficients of He and Ar are needed in the diffusion models of natural tracers. Owing to the lack of data on the diffusion coefficients of He and Ar for the different clay host formations, diffusion experiments with dissolved He and Ar were performed on Boom Clay, Opalinus Clay and Callovo-Oxfordian Clay. Samples were confined in a diffusion cell, and diffusion coefficients were measured by using the double throughdiffusion technique. The diffusion coefficients (D p or D pore ) for He in Boom Clay, Callovo-Oxfordian Clay and Opalinus Clay are 12.6 × 10 210 , 4.51 × 10 210 and 7.13 × 10 210 m 2 s 21 , respectively. The diffusion coefficients for Ar in Boom Clay, Callovo-Oxfordian Clay and Opalinus Clay are 18.6 × 10 211 , 4.06 × 10 211 and 3.65 × 10 211 m 2 s 21 , respectively.

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“…11 inset map). The very constant mineralogy of the Boom Clay (Zeelmaekers et al, 2015), reflecting the varying silt/clay fraction ratio, is supporting the continuous arrival of the same sediment in the basin. Note that the position of the carbonate layers bears no relationship to the position of the other lithological components; the precise reason for the development of carbonate horizons in the clay during the sedimentation is not yet understood.…”

Section: Sea-level Model For the Genesis Of The High-frequency Cyclesmentioning

confidence: 96%

Tectonic and climatic signals in the Oligocene sediments of the Southern North-Sea Basin

Vandenberghe¹

2017

Geol. Belg.

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ABSTRACT. The Oligocene sediments formed between the Pyrenean and Savian tectonic pulses. The earliest Oligocene was characterized by a widespread shallow water transgression. Global cooling coincided with the subsequent retreat of the sea which is also the time of the Grande Coupure faunal turnover. Renewed stepwise transgression resulted in the deposition of the Boom Clay during the Rupelian. High-frequency cyclic changes in water depth of the Boom Clay are driven by waxing and waning of ice masses while lower-frequency cycles can be tectonic signals. By the end of the Rupelian, differential vertical tectonics resulted in considerable erosion west of the Campine subsidence area and in shallower water depth in the eastern part of the southern coastal area. Subsidence of the Lower-Rhine graben resumed at the start of the Chattian. The sea could only briefly transgress over the area outside the graben but in the graben thick Chattian sediments are preserved. Outside the graben, erosion continued to dominate during the Chattian and the Aquitanian. This long period above sea level is due to a combination of the Savian tectonic uplift pulse and a global low sea level.

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Qualitative and quantitative mineralogical composition of the Rupelian Boom Clay in Belgium

Cited by 43 publications

References 25 publications

The Rupel Clay Member in the Netherlands: towards a comprehensive understanding of its geometry and depositional environment

The Rupel Clay Member in the Netherlands: towards a comprehensive understanding of its geometry and depositional environment

Measuring diffusion coefficients of dissolved He and Ar in three potential clay host formations: Boom Clay, Callovo-Oxfordian Clay and Opalinus Clay

Tectonic and climatic signals in the Oligocene sediments of the Southern North-Sea Basin

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