THE DEVONIAN STRATIGRAPHY OF NORTH AND CENTRAL VESTSPITSBERGEN

Abstract

Summary An account of the Devonian sediments of North and Central Vestspitsbergen is presented in the light of four seasons of field work and a survey of previous research. A number of lithological units are defined and briefly described in a sequence of about six thousand metres of sediment of predominantly Old Red Sandstone facies. An attempt is made at correlating them and they are thought to range from Upper Downtonian (Lower Gedinnian) to upper Middle Devonian (upper Givetian) or lowermost Upper Devonian (lowermost Frasnian). The environments of deposition probably include torrential alluvial fans, river floodplains, brackish lagoons and inland lakes. Conglomerates at the top of the succession may indicate the beginning of the Upper Devonian “ Svalbardian ” phase of earthmovement.