The Netherlands during the Tertiary and the Quaternary: A case history of Coastal Lowland evolution

Abstract

The Netherlands and the adjoining southern region of the North Sea form part of a subsiding area with a complicated tectonic and sedimentary history. This area was either a shallow sea or a coastal lowland. After a compressional stage at the onset of the Tertiary, tensional forces dominated from the Oligocene onward and induced the formation of an intraplate rift system. The relationship between this system and sediment supply by rivers originating in the hinterland is discussed. In the Quaternary, depocentres shifted considerably. Here a role was played by changes in sea level due to build up of inland ice and repeated climatic changes, leading to increased sediment discharge. In the later part of the Quaternary, inland ice itself invaded the basin and reshaped the landscape.