ABSTRACT
Netherlands were deposited during the Upper Cretaceous in the shallow waters of a temperate to subtropical sea (Schönfeld et al. 1991). They have a low lateral continuity and a maximum thickness of 100 m. At the end of the Cretaceous, sedimentation cycles were interrupted. Due to the uplift of the ArdennesRhenish massif and the subsidence of the Rhine-Ruhr valley graben, the limestone layers were tilted 1 to 2◦ to the North under slight extension. This created normal faults striking 110 to 140◦ at several locations (Felder and Bosch 2000). From the Pliocene, the river Meuse has been flowing in Maastricht area. During glacial periods, the river was braided and deposited gravels; during interglacial periods, it became meandering and cut in its bedding, partly due to tectonic uplift. During the Holocene, the river deposited soft soils belonging to the Boxtel formation. The A2 tunnel is located in a former arm of the Meuse river.
