Grid Member

Hordaland Group, Horda Formation

Name

English/ Norwegian

Grid Member / Gridleddet

Derivatio nominis

Named after a female giant in Norse mythology, who was one of the wives of Odin.

Original definition

Isaksen, D. & Tonstad, K. 1989. A revised Cretaceous and Tertiary lithostratigraphic nomenclature for the Norwegian North Sea. NPD-Bulletin, No. 5, page 49.

Lithology

The formation consists of sandstones with interbeds of claystone and siltstone. The sandstones often have a massive, "blocky", appearance as illustrated by type well 15/3-3 (Fig. ). Individual sandstone beds show little or no evidence of fining upwards or coarsening upwards. The sandstones are very fine to fine, sometimes medium to coarse. Sorting is generally moderate to good. Traces of mica, pyrite, glauconite and fossil fragments are common. A higher argillaceous content is found in distal areas. Well 24/12-1 illustrates the interfingering of thicker claystone units of the Hordaland Group with the Grid Member.

Thickness

The formation is 158 m in well 24/12-1 and 115 m in well 24/12-2 .

Geographical distribution

The sandstones were probably derived from the East Shetland Platform and the formation is recognised in the Viking Graben area between 58°30'N and approximately 60°30'N. A depocentre lies in Norwegian block 15/3 where the formation reaches a thickness of nearly 400 m. It thins eastwards and is not penetrated by wells on the Utsira High. It has been identified in some wells in the Oseberg area. In the Viking Graben north of 61° N, several sandstone bodies occur in the Hordaland Group at the same level, but it is uncertain whether they belong to the Grid Member.

Type well

Well name

15/3-3

    
click to enlarge

Interval of type section (m)

From 1840 to 1470 m in the type well 15/3-3.

Reference wells

Well name

Norwegian wells 24/12-1 and 24/12-2 . 24/12-1:

24/12-1: click to enlarge 24/12-2: click to enlarge

Interval of reference section (m)

24/12-1: 1660-1502 m.
24/12-2: 1397-1282 m.

Boundaries

Lower boundary (basal stratotype)

The lower boundary shows a decrease in gamma-ray response and an increase in velocity from the Hordaland Group into the sandstones of the Grid Member).

Upper boundary (characteristics)

The upper boundary is characterised by an increase in gamma-ray readings and a decrease in velocity from the sandstones of the Grid Member into the overlying claystones of the Hordaland Group.

Age

Middle to Late Eocene, but wells 25/6-1 and 24/12-2 have given an Early Oligocene age.

Depositional environment

The formation is thought to have been deposited in an open marine environment during a regressive period (Isaksen & Tonstad, 1989).

Remarks

The member comprises a series of sand bodies which interfinger with claystones. There is a considerable increase in thickness from less than 200 m north of 59° N (e.g. wells 24/12-1 and 24/12-2) to nearly 400 m south of 59° N (e.g. well 15/3-3). This is not due to a general increase in thickness, but rather to sand deposition having started earlier in the south. This could give grounds for erecting two formal units, a lower one confined to the area south of 59° N and probably of Middle Eocene age, and an upper one. In some areas the lower unit is separated from the upper one by a sequence of claystones which is referred to informally as the Belton member in the UK sector. However, lithological uniformity renders such subdivision impractical at present.

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