Code
NUAU
Status
Formal (Jeffery et al. 1989 & 1991). Seismostratigraphically defined.
Lithological description
Very fine to moderately fine grained sand, slightly to very silty. On seismic profiles characterized by continuous, subhorizontal reflections.
Depositional setting
Deltaic (prodelta, delta front) to open marine.
Definition of lower boundary
Discordant contact with underlying mostly comparable deltaic sand and clay (Outer Silver Pit Formation), in the south very locally with finer grained deltaic sand (Markhams Hole Formation).
Definition of upper boundary
Discordant contact with light coloured, deltaic sand and clay (Yarmouth Roads Formation), glacial sand and gravel (Peelo Formation) or, in the north, mostly comparable deltaic sand and clay (Batavier Formation).
Thickness indication
Up to approximately 90 m, thinner towards the east.
Geographical distribution
Northern part of the Dutch North Sea. Lateral transition into the basal part of the Yarmouth Roads Formation.
Regional correlation
Netherlands (onshore): Appelscha Formation and/or Peize Formation; UK: Aberdeen Ground Formation (Jeffery et al. 1991); How Hill Member of the Wroxham Formation (Rose et al. 2001); GER: not distinguished; BEL: absent.
Age
Early Pleistocene (Early Bavelian).
Type section
Well:
Not yet determined.
Depth (thickness) AH:
Not yet determined.
Origin of name
Named after a British naval ship that participated in the Battle of Dogger Bank in 1915.
Previous name(s)
None.
Reviewed by (date)
Sytze van Heteren (2021), Marcel Bakker (2025).
References
Jeffery, D.H., Frantsen, P., Laban C., Schüttenhelm, R.T.E. 1989. Silver Well: sheet 54°N/02°E. Quaternary Geology, 1 : 250 000 series British Geological Survey and Geological Survey of the Netherlands.
Jeffery, D.H., Laban C., Mesdag, C.S., Schüttenhelm, R.T.E. 1991. Dogger: sheet 55°N/02°E. Quaternary Geology, 1 : 250 000 series British Geological Survey and Geological Survey of the Netherlands.
Rose, J., Moorlock, B.S., Hamblin, R.J. 2001. Pre-Anglian fluvial and coastal deposits in Eastern England: lithostratigraphy and palaeoenvironments. Quaternary International, 79, 5-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1040-6182(00)00119-1
Cite as
TNO-GDN ([YEAR]). Aurora Formation. In: Stratigraphic Nomenclature of the Netherlands, TNO – Geological Survey of the Netherlands. Accessed on [DATE] from http://www.dinoloket.nl/en/stratigraphic-nomenclature/aurora-formation.