Thickening of Rotliegend sediments related to the activity of the Hantum Fault

The Hantum Fault is one of the major faults in the Dutch subsurface. It has been mapped in SSE-NNW direction from the Lauwerszee Trough (Groningen province) into the offshore block L06. In the Lauwerszee Trough, increased thickness of Rotliegend sediments is seem in the hanging wall, compared to the footwall, suggesting synsedimentary activity on the fault. This study aimed to find out whether a similar synsedimentary thickening occurs in the offshore. Two main conclusions:

1. The “Hantum Fault” is not a single fault line, but a complex of multiple faults that have joined up;
2. No evidence can be found for synsedimentary thickening in, for example, offshore block L06.