Report 2011-02

Meeting report - 11-02-2011

Present

Frieda Bogemans, Frédéric Boulvain, Marie Coen-Aubert, Bernard Delcambre, Michiel Dusar, Eric Goemaere, Luc Hance, Vanessa Heyvaert, Piet Laga, Stephen Louwye, Eddy Poty, Noël Vandenberghe, Jozef Vanorsmael, Johan Yans

Excused

Katrien De Nil (replaced by J. Vanorsmael), Alain Herbosch, Martin Laloux, Jacques Verniers,

1. Report of last NCS meeting

No remarks

2. General remarks

  • The President recalls the target followed today by NCS : have the lithostratigraphical scheme for Belgium online, in an electronic form and regularly updated. Even if no or very little changes are brought to the 2001 volume, the corresponding electronic version has to be uploaded on the NCS webpage.
  • The authorship of revised text in 2001 volume has to be clearly indicated. Units which have been removed will be listed at the end.
  • Modifications approved by NCS will be removed.
  • Changes in the electronic version of the 2001 volume will be first controlled for edition by the secretary of NCS and forwarded to FB for insertion (frequency of new modifications > 6 months).
  • No alterites will be formally designated in this phase of the work. It has however to be described in the text of the source unit.
  • To produce a synthetic stratigraphic table for each System will be a further step, when most modifications are introduced and the scheme stabilized.
  • The give an impulse to the lithostratigraphical revision of difficult intervals/areas, the President insists that "state of art" documents are included as "Proposals and discussions"

3. Subcommission reviews.

a. Cambrian - Ordovician

Representatives are excused, but this subcommission submitted already an updated text of the 2001 volume.

b. Devonian

The electronic version of the 2001 volume is online and includes minor modifications regarding the Watissart and Brayelles Members.

Eric Goemaere informs NCS that the revision of the Famennian lithostratigraphy will start and that the geological mapping in the Lower Devonian of the southern Belgium (in progress) will give rise to new and revised units.

c. Carboniferous

The electronic version of the 2001 volume has to be uploaded.

The Onoz Formation was introduced by B. Delcambre and J-L. Pingot for the revision of the geological map in the Orneau valley. It covers a Lower Visean unit included between the Tournaisian dolostones and the Visean Lives Formation. This formation will be inserted as "Proposals and discussions" on the NCS webpage..

Regarding the Campine Basin and the data of VITO for the Flemish government (DOV site) and worked out mainly by Ben Laenen, Michiel Dusar points out that the work to be done is significant and time consuming. The goal is to reach enough consistency; it requires in many cases to go back to the data.

The President recommends creating a small Working Group, coordinated by MD. A first meeting will evaluate better the existing documents (Ben Laenen data, V. Langenaer PhD, biostratigraphy data, Van Tongeren's proposal...) A further step will be the correlation with southern Belgium. Michiel Dusar takes the initiative to get the working group started.

d. Permian - Trias - Jurassic

The electronic version of the 2001 volume has to be uploaded. No modifications required.

Nothing is done regarding the Permian (mainly Malmedy and Campine).

The term Permian needs to be added to the name of the Trias-Jura subcommission on the website.

e. Cretaceous

The electronic version of the 2001 volume has to be uploaded.

The Vaals Formation and its subdivision into 2 members in the Campine Basin is approved by NCS.

f. Paleogene-Neogene

The electronic version of the 2001 volume has to be uploaded.

A document regarding the revision of the Oligocene is circulating amongst the subcommission members for revision and the description of the Ypresian lithostratigraphic units is in progress. Neogene units are also in preparation.

S. Louwye comments the changes proposed in the Oligocene. Regarding the Rupelian the boundary between Belsele-Waas and Terhagen members is redefined based on the geophysical well log signature and a formal name is introduced for the upper more silty part , the Boeretang Member , referring to the site of the nuclear waste research site where most recent data come from. The Eigenbilzen Formation will also have an extended meaning, incorporating a thin unit west of the Mol Rauw fault. The Chattian deposits will be taken out of the Rupel Group.

g. Quaternary

The electronic version of the 2001 volume has to be uploaded.

The text and figures for the new loess subdivision (Pirson, Haesaerts and Meijs) are submitted and will be included as "Proposals and discussions" on the NCS webpage.

4. Varia

a. TS-Creator

https://engineering.purdue.edu/Stratigraphy/tscreator/download/download.php

NCS is exploring how we can upload an updated Belgian stratigraphy in TS-Creator.

b. Sequence stratigraphy

The NCS members are requested by the President to consider extending the NCS work to "more scientific" aspects of stratigraphy, like sequence stratigraphy, even if this matter is more controversial.

The organization of a Thematic session of Geologica Belgica on sequence stratigraphy could be a good starting point.

As an example of a more integrated approach of stratigraphy, MD presents the new "Petroleum Geological Atlas of the Southern Permian Basin area".

5. Next meeting

Next meeting end of August or September, with announcement in June.

Luc Hance Noël Vandenberghe

Secretaris Président

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