Sedimentary and structural history of the Texel-IJsselmeer High, the Netherlands

Abstract

The Texel-IJsselmeer High, in the northern part of the Netherlands, is a NW — SE trending fault block, slightly tilted to the northeast. It affected sedimentation patterns and the structural development of the area from the Late Carboniferous — Early Permian to the Tertiary. The high influenced both the Permian (Upper Rotliegend andZechstein) facies distribution and the sedimentary processes during the Late Jurassic and the Early Cretaceous.Uplift of the high during the Late Jurassic and contemporaneous subsidence of adjacent basins can be linked with crustal extension. Late Jurassic faulting at the southern edge of the high was accompanied by hanging-wall subsidence (Central Netherlands Basin) and footwall uplift (Texel-IJsselmeer High and Friesland Platform). This resulted in significant erosion on the high, which can be modeled with an isocratic model of the crust. During the Late Cretaceous — Early Tertiary inversion phase, reverse faulting occurred along pre-existing Jurassic faults in a zone directly to the south of the high. On both sides of the high, gas-producing Permian sandstones and carbonates have been found with good reservoir characteristics. Locally, Lower Cretaceous sandstones are gas-producing on the Friesland Platform.