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The Rupel Group is a stratigraphic group of
rock strata In geology and related fields, a stratum ( : strata) is a layer of rock or sediment characterized by certain lithologic properties or attributes that distinguish it from adjacent layers from which it is separated by visible surfaces known as e ...
in the subsurface of
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...
. It is subdivided into three formations that are all marine deposits (sands and clays) of
Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but ...
age.


Name

The Rupel Group was first named by Belgian geologist
André Hubert Dumont André — sometimes transliterated as Andre — is the French and Portuguese form of the name Andrew, and is now also used in the English-speaking world. It used in France, Quebec, Canada and other French-speaking countries. It is a variation o ...
in 1849. It shares its name with the
Rupelian The Rupelian is, in the geologic timescale, the older of two ages or the lower of two stages of the Oligocene Epoch/ Series. It spans the time between . It is preceded by the Priabonian Stage (part of the Eocene) and is followed by the Chattian ...
age (34 to 28 million years ago) of the
geological timescale The geologic time scale, or geological time scale, (GTS) is a representation of time based on the rock record of Earth. It is a system of chronological dating that uses chronostratigraphy (the process of relating strata to time) and geochrono ...
. Both group and age are named after the Belgian river
Rupel The Rupel () is a tidal river in northern Belgium, right tributary of the Scheldt. It is about long. It flows through the Belgian province of Antwerp. It is formed by the confluence of the rivers Dijle and Nete, in Rumst. It flows into the Sch ...
. The Rupel Group corresponds with the
Rupel Formation The Rupel Formation (abbreviation: RU) is a geologic formation in the subsurface of the Netherlands that consists of Oligocene marine sands and clays. The Rupel Formation is part of the Middle North Sea Group and correlates exactly with the Belgi ...
in the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
.


Facies and lithologies

The Rupel Group can be 250 meters thick at maximum. During the Rupelian age Belgium was covered by a shallow sea. The formations of the Rupel Group therefore have a shallow marine to near coastal facies.


Stratigraphy

The group is subdivided into three formations: the Bilzen Formation (yellow-white glauconiferous fine sand, containing fossils), the
Boom Formation Boom may refer to: Objects * Boom (containment), a temporary floating barrier used to contain an oil spill * Boom (navigational barrier), an obstacle used to control or block marine navigation * Boom (sailing), a sailboat part * Boom (windsurf ...
(a thick clay deposit, containing
loam Loam (in geology and soil science) is soil composed mostly of sand ( particle size > ), silt (particle size > ), and a smaller amount of clay (particle size < ). By weight, its mineral composition is about 40–40–20% concentration of sand–si ...
layers and
septaria A concretion is a hard, compact mass of matter formed by the precipitation of mineral cement within the spaces between particles, and is found in sedimentary rock or soil. Concretions are often ovoid or spherical in shape, although irregular ...
) and the
Eigenbilzen Formation Eigenbilzen is a village and former municipality in the Bilzen municipality of the Limburg province in the Flemish Community of Belgium. Eigenbilzen was an independent municipality until 1977 when it merged into Bilzen. History The village was fi ...
(strongly layered sands). The Rupel Group lies stratigraphically on top of the late
Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', " ...
Tongeren Group ( Sint Huibrechts-Hern Formation or Zelzate Formation) or
Maldegem Formation The Maldegem Formation ( nl, Formatie van Maldegem; old name: Kallo Complex) is a geologic formation in the Belgian subsurface. The formation consists of alternating marine clay and sand strata, deposited during the late Eocene. The Maldegem Form ...
. The group can be covered by a range of younger formations, such as the late Oligocene Voort Formation, the
Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recent" ...
Berchem Formation or Bolderberg Formation or the
Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58Kattendijk Formation.


References

*; 1849: ''Rapport sur la Carte géologique du Royaume'', Bulletin de l'Académie royale de Belgique 16 (2ième partie), p. 370 () * (eds.); 2001: ''Paleogene and Neogene lithostratigraphic units (Belgium)'', Geologica Belgica 4(1-2), p. 135-152 Geologic groups of Europe Geologic formations of Belgium Lithostratigraphy of Belgium Oligocene {{Europe-geologic-formation-stub