How Important Is the Late Cimmerian Unconformity in Controlling Formation of Kaolinite in Sandstones of the North Sea? (Examples From The Snorre Field): Chapter 15: DIAGENESIS, SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHY AND CHANGES IN RELATIVE SEA LEVEL

Data on the content and distribution of kaolinite in the fluvial sandstones of the Statfjord Formation and the upper member of the Lunde Formation in the Snorre Field, northern North Sea, show no spatial relationship to the late Cimmerian unconformity. The reason is that the erosion rate during development of the unconformity was of the order of ten times greater than the propagation rate of the dissolution front in the sandstones caused by meteoric water flushing during subaerial exposure. This conclusion is consistent with similar observations from the nearby Gullfaks Field. It suggests that the diagenetic effect of the late Cimmerian unconformity on the underlying sandstones in the North Sea has been overestimated.