1.2.20. Wépion Formation - WEP

Authors:Gosselet, 1888; Stainier, 1994d.

 

Description:The Wépion Fm begins with the first green quartzitic thick bed overlying the red siltstones and sandstones thin beds of the Acoz Fm.  The very bottom of this quartzitic unit is underlined by a conglomerate made up of pebbles of white quartz, green or red sandstone and tourmalinite.  The top of the formation is situated below the sandstone and conglomerates with red cement of the Burnot Fm.  In between, the Wépion Fm is mainly made up of quartzites and blue grey, blue or greenish argillaceous sandstones.  The beds are often lenticular.  Thick interbeds of grey, black or mottled shales and siltstones, sometimes containing pebbles often separate sandstone beds.  Plant remains and, less frequently, fish remains also occur.  Pelitic units may also contain red and green sandstones beds, generally well stratified.  To the top, the green sandstones contain more and more pebbles.  The siltstone interbeds are cellular and ferruginous.  The Wépion Fm is divided into two members, respectively from bottom to top:

·       The Grand Ri Member (260 m): blue grey, greenish or reddish sandstones and quartzites, often conglomeratic bearing, forming thick units separated by grey, green or red shales, siltstones and thin sandstone beds.

·       The Bois des Collets Member (40 m): green, very coarse-grained and even conglomeratic bearing sandstones.  The rocks are cellular and ferruginous (also the green shales interbeds).

 

Stratotype:Dave and Wépion, Dave quarry, Bois des Collets quarry and surroundings.

 

Area:N and E flanks of the Dinant Synclinorium, up to the Mormont fault.  The Bois des Collets Mbr is observed from Binche to the Fond d'Oxhe.

 

Thickness:200 m in the Honelle valley, 223 m at Wépion, 280 m at Acoz, 400 m S of Huy.

 

Age:Emsian (AB Oppel Miospore Biozone).