Internal structures of the nieuwpoort bank (southern north sea)

The subbottom survey of the Nieuwpoort Banks allows recognition of 4 successive stages underlain by leper Clay: (1) The bank rests upon a sedimentary unit, at least 2 to 5 m thick, having a subhorizontal or wedge-like interior stratification. (2) This unit is cut by a subhorizontal erosive surface. (3) On top of this a first ridge, still recognizable on its interior structure and with shoreward-dipping foreset beds, developed. (4) On top of this former ridge the present-day bank was formed with shoreward-dipping foreset beds. Since the same structures are observed in the Stroom Bank, it seems likely that the above mentioned scheme can be generalized for all near-shore ridges close to the Belgian coast.