The origin of 'tauw', an enigmatic building stone of the Mergelland: a case study of the Hesbaye region, southwest of Maastricht (Belgium)

The origin of a peculiar type of silicified limestone with nodular flints used in parish churches at Sluizen and Vreren, south of Tongeren (province of Limburg, Belgium), has now been elucidated by the discovery of the same rock type in its natural setting, namely the silicified top of the Cretaceous which underlies Clay-with-flints ('flint eluvium') and Oligocene sands in a disused quarry at Est, municipality of Riemst (Limburg, Belgium). Co-operation between professional geologists and amateur palaeontologists has allowed to characterise this rock type, here referred to as 'Elst tauw', both... Mehr ...