Die Küste, 74 ICCE (2008), 1-17 
Geological Development of the North Sea and 
the Baltic Sea 
By Klaus Schwarzer, Klaus Ricklefs, Alexander Bartholoma and 
Manfred zeiler 
Contents 
1. Introduction 1 
2. North Sea 1 
2.1 Palaeozoic to Palaeogene Development 2 
2.2 Neogene 4 
2.2.1 Pleistocene Development 4 
2.2.2 Holocene 6 
3. Baltic Sea 8 
3.1 Palaeozoic to Palaeogene Development 8 
3.2 Neogene 10 
3.2.1 Pleistocene Development 10 
4. Conclusion 15 
5. References 15 
1. Introduction 
Coastal evolution and coastal processes depend to a certain extent on the geological 
composition of the ocean basin. Tectonic structures in the subsurface as well as sinking or 
uplift rates of coastal regions may control the exposure and delineation of the coastline. 
The thickness of sedimentary layers, their texture and mineralogical composition have a 
strong influence on compaction and resistance against erosion. On the other hand, sediment 
availability is essential for the formation of all soft rock coastal elements such as e.g. barrier 
islands, spits and bars. 
Sedimentary rocks can be sources for mineral resources such as oil and gas. Recently, 
they are considered as possible sinks for technical C0 2 - sequestration (Lackner, 2003). 
Moreover, the installation of offshore structures such as oil rigs or foundations for wind 
turbines, cable routes and the high demand for offshore aggregate resources to compensate 
coastal erosion and to be used for coastal protection and for construction purposes require a 
good knowledge of the geological evolution of the basin (Harff et al., 2004). The North Sea 
and the Baltic Sea are geographically close together, just separated by the geologically very 
young, only 60-80 km wide and 450 km long N-S extending Jutland peninsula, which con 
sists mainly of quaternary deposits. Nevertheless, in parts they underwent a different geo 
logical evolution since the Palaeozoic period. For this reason, we describe the geological 
development of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea separately. 
2. North Sea 
The North Sea is a shallow continental shelf sea with an average water depth of 94 m. To 
the West, it is bordered by the British Islands, to the South by the Mid European mainland