Petrology and provenance of late silurian fluviatile sandstones from the ringerike group of Norway

The Ringerike Group, a late Silurian fluviatile sequence in the Oslo Graben of Norway was deposited in two distinct sedimentary provinces. In the northern part of the area the Sundvollen Formation (meandering-stream sediments) and the overlying Stubdal Formation (braided) contain antiperthitic feldspars and drop perthites characteristics of the jotunites of the Jotunheim area of central Norway. Other textural, mineralogical and palaeocurrent evidence supports the conclusion that these two formations were derived from a relatively distant source area, which included the Jotunheim, part of the newly raised Caledonian orogen.To the south, the sandstones of the Holmestrand area are much coarser grained and show a distinctive mineralogy, composition and texture. This evidence, supported by palaeocurrent studies, is consistent with a proximal source area on the eastern flank of the Oslo Graben. Source rocks consisted predominantly of high-grade metamorphic and igneous rocks of the Precambrian basement and the overlying Eocambrian sedimentary rocks.