Geochemical discrimination of the Upper Ordovician Kinnekulle Bentonite in the Billegrav-2 drill core section, Bornholm, Denmark

Abstract

The content of the trace elements Ti, Nb, Zr and Th has been analysed in 34 Upper Ordovician bentonites from the Billegrav-2 drill core, Bornholm, Denmark. The section contains two 80–90 cm thick bentonites, which potentially may represent the Kinnekulle Bentonite, as well as several rather thick but composite bentonite layers with thin terrigenous shale interbeds. Comparison of the four immobile trace elements with data from the Kinnekulle Bentonite reported from other locations in Baltoscandia indicate that the 80 cm thick bentonite between 88.30 and 89.10 m in the Billegrav-2 core represents this marker bed. The other thick (90 cm) bentonite in the Billegrav-2 core, exceeding the thickness of the Kinnekulle Bentonite, belongs to the Sinsen or uppermost Grefsen Series bentonites. Bentonites in the Grefsen Series frequently contain much higher concentrations of trace elements than the Kinnekulle Bentonite.