Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 3, 2026

Balder Formation

The Balder Formation is a geological formation of lowermost Eocene in age, found in the Central and Northern North Sea and Faroe-Shetland Basin. The formation is named after Balder, a god from Norse mythology. Layers of tuff are found, particularly at the base of the unit, deposited by airfall from volcanoes associated with the North Atlantic Igneous Province.

Last revised
Jun 3, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
133 w
Citations
2
Source
Balder Formation
Stratigraphic range: Earliest Eocene
~
TypeFormation
Unit ofMoray Group
UnderliesHorda, Mousa or Tay Formation
OverliesSele or Dornoch Formation, Montrose Group
Thickness30–300 m (98–984 ft)
Lithology
PrimaryMudstone, tuff
OtherSandstone
Location
RegionOffshore; subsurface
CountryUnited Kingdom
Norway
Denmark
ExtentCentral and northern North Sea, Faroe-Shetland Basin
Type section
Named forBalder, Norse deity

The Balder Formation is a geological formation of lowermost Eocene in age, found in the Central and Northern North Sea and Faroe-Shetland Basin.1 The formation is named after Balder, a god from Norse mythology. Layers of tuff are found, particularly at the base of the unit, deposited by airfall from volcanoes associated with the North Atlantic Igneous Province.2

References

References

  1. British Geological Survey. "Balder Formation". The BGS Lexicon of Named Rock Units.
  2. Morton A.C.; Knox R.W.O'B (1990). "Geochemistry of late Palaeocene and early Eocene tephras from the North Sea Basin" (PDF). Journal of the Geological Society, London. 147 (3): 425–437. Bibcode:1990JGSoc.147..425M. doi:10.1144/gsjgs.147.3.0425.