Anatomy, hydrodynamics and depositional setting of a Westphalian C lacustrine delta complex, West Midlands, England

Studies, spanning a 3 year period, of Westphalian C strata exposed in an active quarry have enabled three dimensional reconstruction of a lacustrine delta complex. The sequence exhibits a complex history of lake infilling by sediment introduced by intermittent high energy, low sinuosity distributary channel flows. Deposition in the small 0.2 km² lake prior to delta formation was dominated by organic matter and typified rheotrophic swamp conditions. Large lycopods colonized the swamp floor. The lake was filled by a prograding delta which comprised six horizontally and vertically stacked delta lobes. The presence of lycopods aided sediment accumulation. Fluctuations in river discharge and consequent lake level rise and fall exerted a fundamental control on delta progradation and aggradation. Flooding during low lake levels first produced erosion on the existing lobe followed by a lake level rise which created accommodation for aggradation of a new delta lobe. Further lobe erosion and low stand lobe formation occurred during lake level fall. The area's proximity to alluvial fans resulted in hyperconcentrated flood flow within the distributary channels. The occurrence upon in-channel surfaces of plant colonization, including lycopods, testifies to the ephemeral nature of the flow. The lacustrine delta complex formed at the front of a terminal alluvial fan. Northward progradation of the alluvial fan was achieved by the capture and infilling of lakes by northerly flowing distributary channels.     

Facies characteristics and architecture related to palaeodepth of Holocene fjord–delta sediments

Lithofacies characteristics and depositional geometry of a sandy, prograding delta deposited as part of the Holocene valley‐fill stratigraphy in the Målselv valley, northern Norway, were examined using morpho‐sedimentary mapping, facies analysis of sediments in exposed sections, auger drilling and ground penetrating radar survey. Various lithofacies types record a broad range of depositional processes within an overall coarsening‐upward succession comprising a lowermost prodelta/bottomset unit, an intermediate delta slope/foreset unit containing steeply dipping clinoforms and an uppermost delta plain/topset unit. Bottomset lithofacies typically comprise sand‐silt couplets (tidal rhythmites), bioturbated sands and silts, and flaser and lenticular bedding. These sediments were deposited from suspension fall‐out, partly controlled by tidal currents and fluvial effluent processes. Delta foreset lithofacies comprise massive, inverse graded and normal graded beds deposited by gravity‐driven processes (mainly cohesionless debris flows and turbidity currents) and suspension fall‐out. In places, delta foreset beds show tidal rhythmicity and individual beds can be followed downslope into bottomset beds. Delta plain facies show an upward‐fining succession with trough cross‐beds at the base, followed by planar, laminated and massive beds indicative of a bedload dominated river/distributary system. This study presents a model of deltaic development that can be described with reference to three styles within a continuum related primarily to water depth within a basin of variable geometry: (i) bypass; (ii) shoal‐water; and (iii) deep‐water deltas. Bypass and deep‐water deltas can be considered as end members, whereas shoal‐water deltas are an intermediate type. The bypass delta is characterized by rapid progradation and an absence of delta slope sediments and low basin floor aggradation due to low accommodation space. The shoal‐water delta is characterized by rapid progradation, a short delta slope dominated by gravity‐flow processes and a prodelta area characterized by rapid sea‐floor aggradation due to intense suspension fallout of sandy material. Using tidal rhythmites as time‐markers, a progradation rate of up to 11 m year^?1 has been recorded. The deep‐water delta is characterized by a relatively long delta slope dominated by gravity flows, moderate suspension fall‐out and slow sea‐floor aggradation in the prodelta area.     

Depositional environments in an extensive tide-influenced delta plain, Middle Devonian Gauja Formation, Devonian Baltic Basin

The Middle Devonian Gauja Formation in the Devonian Baltic Basin preserves tide‐influenced delta plain and delta front deposits associated with a large southward prograding delta complex. The outcrops extend over 250 km from southern Estonia to southern Lithuania. The succession can be divided into 10 facies associations recording distributary channel belts that became progressively more tide influenced when traced southwards towards the palaeo‐shoreline, separated by muddy intra‐channel areas where deposition was characterized by crevasse splays, delta plain lakes, abandoned channel deposits and tidal gullies. Tidal currents influenced deposition over the entire delta plain, extending up to 250 km from the contemporary shoreline. Tidal facies on the upper delta plain differ from those on the lower delta plain and delta front. In the former case, deposition from river currents was only occasionally interrupted by tidal currents, e.g. during spring tides, resulting in mica and mudstone drapes, and distinctive graded cross‐stratification. The lower delta plain was dominated by tidal facies and tidal currents regularly influenced deposition. There was a change from progradation to aggradation from the lower to the upper part of the Gauja Formation coupled with a vertical decrease in tidal influence and a decrease in coarse‐grained sediment input. The Gauja Formation contrasts with established models for tide‐influenced deltas as the active delta plain was not restricted by topography. The shape of the delta plain, the predominant southward (basinward)‐directed palaeocurrents, and the thick sandstone succession, show that although tidal currents strongly influenced deposition at bed scale, rivers still controlled the overall morphology of the delta and the larger‐scale bedforms. In addition, there are no signs of wave influence, indicating very low wave energy in the basin. The widespread tidal influence in the Devonian Baltic Basin is explained by changes in the wider basin geometry and by local bathymetrical differences in the basin during progradation and aggradation of the delta plain, with changes in tidal efficiency accompanying the change in basin geometry produced by shoreline progradation.     

Lacustrine deltas in a Mesozoic alluvial sequence from Camp Hill, Antarctica

Sedimentary rocks of late Mesozoic age exposed at Camp Hill, northern Antarctic Peninsula, are associated with calc-alkaline volcanic rocks. They represent deposition on a fault-controlled floodplain, with marginal alluvial fans, on a volcanic arc. Finely laminated mudstone and occasional graded laminae were deposited from suspension and by density underflow currents, respectively, in small shallow lakes. Thickening- and coarsening-upward sandstone bodies overlying the lake deposits are interpreted as lacustrine deltas of which two types are preserved: (1) Gilbert-type with steep foresets and (2) mouth-bar type which lack steep foresets. Sections through the latter type reveal the presence of sub-environments characteristic of fluvial-dominated marine deltas, i.e. prodelta, distributary mouth-bar and distributary channel. Abandoned mouth-bars resulting from avulsion are recognized. It is suggested that the processes which operated during formation of the mouth-bar deltas resulted from hyperpycnal flow. By contrast, the Gilbert-type delta is thought to be the consequence of a reduced inflow of suspended sediment causing homopycnal flow, and thorough mixing of the river and lake waters.     

A three‐dimensional numerical model of sediment transport,erosion and deposition within a network of channel belts,floodplain and hill slope: extrinsic and intrinsic controls on floodplain dynamics and alluvial architecture

A three‐dimensional numerical model of sediment transport, erosion and deposition within a network of channel belts and associated floodplain is described. Sediment and water supply are defined at the upstream entry point, and base level is defined at the downstream edge of the model. Sediment and water are transported through a network of channels according to the diffusion equation, and each channel has a channel belt with a width that increases in time. The network of channels evolves as a result of channel bifurcation and abandonment (avulsion). The timing and location of channel bifurcation is controlled stochastically as a function of the cross‐valley slope of the floodplain adjacent to the channel belt relative to the down‐valley slope, and of annual flood discharge. A bifurcation develops into an avulsion when the discharge of one of the distributaries falls below a threshold value. The floodplain aggradation rate decreases with distance from the nearest active channel belt. Channel‐belt degradation results in floodplain incision. Extrinsic (extrabasinal, allogenic) and intrinsic (intrabasinal, autogenic) controls on floodplain dynamics and alluvial architecture were modelled, and sequence stratigraphy models were assessed. Input parameters were chosen based on data from the Rhine–Meuse delta. To examine how the model responds to extrinsic controls, the model was run under conditions of changing base level and increasing sediment supply. Rises and falls in base level and increases in sediment supply occurred over 10 000 years. Rising base level caused a wave of aggradation to move up‐valley, until aggradation occurred over the entire valley. Frequency of bifurcations and avulsions increased with rate of base‐level rise and aggradation rate. Channel‐belt width varied with water discharge and the lifespan of the channel belt. Wide, connected channel belts (and high channel‐deposit proportion) occurred around the upstream inflow point because of their high discharge and longevity. Less connected, smaller channel belts occurred further down‐valley. Such alluvial behaviour and architecture is also found in the Rhine–Meuse delta. During base‐level fall, valley erosion occurred, and the incised valley contained a single wide channel belt. During subsequent base‐level rise, a wave of aggradation moved up‐valley, filling the incised valley. Bifurcation and avulsion sites progressively moved upstream. Relatively thin, narrow channel belts bordered and cut into the valley fill. These results differ substantially from existing sequence stratigraphy models. The increase in sediment supply from upstream resulted in an alluvial fan. Most bifurcations and avulsions occurred at the fan apex (nodal avulsion), and channel belts were the widest and the thickest here (giving high channel‐deposit proportion) due to their high discharge and longevity. The width and thickness of channel belts decreased down‐valley due to decreased discharge, longevity and aggradation rate. This behaviour occurs in modern alluvial fans. Intrinsic controls also affect floodplain dynamics and alluvial architecture. Variation of aggradation rate, bifurcation frequency and number of coexisting channel belts occurred over periods of 500 to 2000 years, compared with 10 000 years for extrinsic controls. This variation is partly related to local aggradation and degradation of channel belts around bifurcation points. Channel belts were preferentially clustered near floodplain margins, because of low floodplain aggradation rate and topography there.     

The upper Hawkesbury River, New South Wales, Australia: a Holocene example of an estuarine bayhead delta

Holocene deposits of the Hawkesbury River estuary, located immediately north of Sydney on the New South Wales coast, record the complex interplay between sediment supply and relative sea-level rise within a deeply incised bedrock-confined valley system. The present day Hawkesbury River is interpreted as a wave-dominated estuarine complex, divisible into two broad facies zones: (i) an outer marine-dominated zone extending 6 km upstream from the estuary mouth that is characterized by a large, subtidal sandy flood-tidal delta. Ocean wave energy is partially dissipated by this flood-tidal delta, so that tidal level fluctuations are the predominant marine mechanism operating further landward; (ii) a river-dominated zone that is 103 km long and characterized by a well developed progradational bayhead delta that includes distributary channels, levees, and overbank deposits. This reach of the Hawkesbury River undergoes minor tidal level fluctuations and low fluvial runoff during baseflow conditions, but experiences strong flood flows during major runoff events. Fluvial deposits of the Hawkesbury River occur upstream of this zone. The focus of this paper is the Hawkesbury River bayhead delta. History of deposition within this delta over the last c. 12 ka is interpreted from six continuous cores located along the upper reaches of the Hawkesbury River. Detailed sedimentological analysis of facies, whole-core X-ray analysis of burrow traces and a chronostratigraphic framework derived from 10 C-14 dates reveal four stages of incised-valley infilling in the study area: (1) before 17 ka BP, a 0–1 m thick deposit of coarse-grained fluvial sand and silt was laid down under falling-to-lowstand sea level conditions; (2) from 17 to 6·5 ka BP, a 5–10 m thick deposit composed of fine-grained fluvial sand and silt, muddy bayhead delta and muddy central-basin deposits developed as the incised valley was flooded during eustatic sea-level rise; (3) during early highstand, between 6·5 and 3 ka BP, a 3–8 m thick bed of interbedded muddy central-basin deposits and sandy river flood deposits, formed in association with maximum flooding and progradation of sandy distributary mouth-bar deposits commenced; (4) since 3 ka BP, fluvial deposits have prograded toward the estuary mouth in distributary mouth-bar, interdistributary-bay and bayhead-delta plain environments to produce a 5–15 m thick progradational to aggradational bayhead-delta deposit. At the mouth of the Hawkesbury estuary subaqueous fluvial sands interfinger with and overlie marine sands. The Hawkesbury River bayhead-delta depositional succession provides an example of the potential for significant variation of facies within the estuarine to fluvial segment of incised-valley systems.     

Overbank and channelfill deposits of the modern Yellow River delta

The Huanghe is noted for its high transport rate of silt and clay, which may reach depth-averaged values of 200 kg m⁻³ during peak discharge. The sediment load transported through the river on entering the delta plain, amounts to 10¹² kg per year. In contrast to most other large deltas only one distributary channel is active at any one time. The high sediment load causes the rivermouth to prograde at a yearly rate of 1–4 km into the shallow (less than 20 m deep) Bohai gulf. The vertical aggradation of the channel belt and mouth bar complex is also rapid (decimetres per year on average), so that after a normal average of twelve years increasing channel instability and avulsion create the start of a new delta lobe.

A series of satellite images covering the last fifteen years has provided insight in the evolution of the river pattern as well as the progradation of the delta front. A newly developed distributary passes from a multichannel to a single, straight channel system, and ends with the formation of meanders. The protruding mature delta lobe shows a radiating pattern of crevasse channels.

Overbank/ crevasse deposits are made of vertically stacked dm-scale waning flow sequences, structurally characterized by (from bottom to top) small scour-and-fills, even (parallel) lamination, and climbing-ripple crosslamination. Accumulation rates on crevasse splays can be predicted on the basis of estimated river sediment discharge. It can be concluded that each sequence has been deposited within a few hours, and that tidal waterlevel fluctuations may have played a role in the generation of a single sequence.     

川西新场气田沙溪庙组浅水三角洲砂体类型与展布特征

砂体类型与分布特征的差异性造就了油气储层发育的非均质性,通过岩心垂向序列特征明确了沙溪庙组砂体成因类型,并综合测井、地震资料刻画了不同类型砂体的空间分布。沙溪庙组浅水三角洲平原发育垂积型主河道、侧积/填积型次河道砂体以及溢岸砂体,前缘发育侧积型近端水下分流河道、填积型远端水下分流河道、进积型河口坝砂体以及席状砂体;平原主河道砂体厚度多大于10 m,宽600~1 800 m,通过同位垂向切叠与侧向等高程切叠而形成毯状连片砂体,次河道砂体多位于主河道侧缘,厚度平均7.5 m,物性较差,并常被主河道切割而零星分布;内前缘近端水下分流河道砂体厚4~8 m,宽500~1 200 m,多错位切叠或拼接接触,呈带状;远端水下分流河道发育于三角洲外前缘,单砂体厚2.5~6 m,宽200~700 m,平面呈鞋带状,砂体孤立;前缘河口坝砂体分布较少,垂向上常被河道切叠;平原相带两类河道砂体的物性差异造成了储层内部的非均质性,而三角洲前缘储层的非均质性更多在于不同类型砂体的迷宫状展布上。     

德阳须家河组四段沉积相特征和砂体分布规律

孝泉—新场—合兴场地区上三叠统须家河组四段以发育扇三角洲沉积体系为主,其砂体成因类型为扇三角洲前缘水下辫状分流河道(含砾)中—粗粒砂岩夹少量碎屑流沉积砾岩。须家河组四段可划分为1个长期、3个中期和18个短期基准面旋回层序,主要砂体合并为6套砂组。各砂组分布与由基准面变化引起的可容纳空间和沉积物供给量比值密切相关:低位体系域沉积期,基准面上升缓慢,沉积物供给(远)大于可容纳空间,沉积作用以主动进积为主,砂体不断向湖盆方向推进;湖侵体系域沉积期,基准面快速上升,沉积物供给量逐渐减少而(远)小于可容纳空间,沉积作用由进积逐渐转入加积和退积;高位体系域沉积期,基准面由缓慢上升逐渐进入到快速下降,可容纳空间由缓慢增加突变为迅速减小,而沉积物供给由小于或略等于可容纳空间逐渐变为(远)大于可容纳空间,沉积作用由弱进积、加积迅速变为强迫进积。     

Production, preservation and prediction of source-rock facies in deltaic settings

This article hypothesizes that production and preservation of source-rock type facies in deltaic systems, both landward and seaward of a coastline, is mutually exclusive, time-successive and related to the dynamics of relative sea level. Sedimentologic research in the Holocene Mississippi and Rhône delta complexes suggests that rheotrophic peats and associated organic-rich beds preferably accumulate in the accommodation space created behind landward stepping shorelines in a transgressive systems tract (TST). Such a setting also allows for a sufficient supply of recharging fresh nutrient-rich groundwater into the peat forming mires [Kosters, E.C., Suter, J.R., 1993. Facies relationships and systems tracts in the late Holocene Mississippi Delta Plain. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 63 (4) 727–733.]. Independently carried-out quantitative paleoecological studies in the same delta systems (and in addition in the Orinoco and Po deltas) suggest that in a progradational setting (highstand systems tract/HST), seasonally discharged nutrient- and sediment-laden river waters on the shelf may give rise to anoxia or dysoxia. Subsequent overfertilization of the shelf leads to accumulation of organic-rich mud belts on the shelf [VanderZwaan, G.J., Jorissen, F.J., 1991. Biofacial patterns in river-induced anoxia. In: Tyson, R.V., Pearson, T.H. (Eds.), Modern and Ancient Continental Shelf Anoxia. Geological Society of London, Special Publication no. 58, pp. 65–82.]. Thus, production and preservation of source-rock type facies landward of a shoreline (as peats and related sediments) is preferred in a TST, when accommodation space and nutrient supply are landward of the shoreline. Vice versa, production and preservation of such facies seaward of a shoreline (as organic-rich shelf muds) occurs preferentially in a highstand systems tract. In that situation, accommodation space is on the shelf, where river-fed nutrients are supplied as well. This hypothesis suggests further potential for application of sequence stratigraphic concepts for improved understanding of the occurrence of source-rock type facies.     

Intra‐parasequence architecture of an interpreted asymmetrical wave‐dominated delta

Although modern wave‐dominated shorelines exhibit complex geomorphologies, their ancient counterparts are typically described in terms of shoreface‐shelf parasequences with a simple internal architecture. This discrepancy can lead to poor discrimination between, and incorrect identification of, different types of wave‐dominated shoreline in the stratigraphic record. Documented in this paper are the variability in facies characteristics, high‐resolution stratigraphic architecture and interpreted palaeo‐geomorphology within a single parasequence that is interpreted to record the advance of an ancient asymmetrical wave‐dominated delta. The Standardville (Ab1) parasequence of the Aberdeen Member, Blackhawk Formation is exposed in the Book Cliffs of central Utah, USA. This parasequence, and four others in the Aberdeen Member, record the eastward progradation of north/south‐trending, wave‐dominated shorelines. Within the Standardville (Ab1) parasequence, distal wave‐dominated shoreface‐shelf deposits in the eastern part of the study area are overlain across a downlap surface by southward prograding fluvial‐dominated delta‐front deposits, which have previously been assigned to a separate ‘stranded lowstand parasequence’ formed by a significant, allogenic change in relative sea‐level. High‐resolution stratigraphic analysis of these deposits reveals that they are instead more likely to record a single episode of shoreline progradation characterized by alternating periods of normal regressive and forced regressive shoreline trajectory because of minor cyclical fluctuations in relative sea‐level. Interpreted normal regressive shoreline trajectories within the wave‐dominated shoreface‐shelf deposits are marked by aggradational stacking of bedsets bounded by non‐depositional discontinuity surfaces. Interpreted forced regressive shoreline trajectories in the same deposits are characterized by shallow incision of fluvial distributary channels and strongly progradational stacking of bedsets bounded by erosional discontinuity surfaces that record enhanced wave‐base scour. Fluvial‐dominated delta‐front deposits most probably record the regression of a lobate delta parallel to the regional shoreline into an embayment that was sheltered from wave influence. Wave‐dominated shoreface‐shelf and fluvial‐dominated delta‐front deposits occur within the same parasequence, and their interpretation as the respective updrift and downdrift flanks of a single asymmetrical wave‐dominated delta that periodically shifted its position provides the most straightforward explanation of the distribution and relative orientation of these two deposit types.     

Effects of peat compaction on delta evolution: A review on processes,responses, measuring and modeling

Peat is most compressible of all natural soils. Compaction of peat layers potentially leads to substantial amounts of land subsidence. Peat is common in many distal parts of Holocene deltas, which are often densely populated. It is known that land subsidence due to peat compaction may have serious societal implications in such areas, as it may cause damage to construction works and lead to land inundation. Effects of peat compaction on the natural evolution of deltas are however poorly understood, whereas this might be an important control on delta evolution at both local and regional scales.The main objective of this paper is to review current knowledge concerning the peat compaction process and its effect on delta evolution in Holocene settings, and to identify gaps in this knowledge. An overview is given regarding: 1) the compaction process, 2) presumed and potential effects of peat compaction on delta evolution, 3) field methods to quantify peat compaction and 4) numerical models to calculate the amount and rate of peat compaction.Peat compaction and formation influence channel belt elevation, channel belt geometry and channel belt configuration. Last-mentioned aspect mostly concerns the influence of peat compaction on avulsion, which is one of the most important processes controlling delta evolution. Interactions between peat compaction, peat formation and avulsion have seldom been studied and remain unclear, partly because factors such as peat type, organic matter content, sediment sequence composition and groundwater table fluctuation are so far not taken into account. Peat compaction and formation potentially influence avulsion as 1) a decrease in accommodation space created by peat compaction underneath a channel causes superelevation and/or an increase in lateral migration, 2) the high cohesiveness of peat banks inhibits lateral migration, which increases bed aggradation, decreases sediment transport capacity and hence increases crevassing frequencies, which possibly evolve into an avulsion, although the low regional gradient in peatlands will hinder this, and 3) peat compaction and oxidation in flood basins following groundwater table lowering leads to relief amplification of channel belts. At delta scale, variations in compaction rates might stimulate the occurrence of nodal avulsions.To quantify effects of peat compaction on delta evolution, and to determine the relative importance of different factors involved, field research should be combined with numerical models describing peat compaction and formation. The model should be validated and calibrated with field data.     

Late-Holocene evolution of the Mahakam delta, East Kalimantan, Indonesia

The late-Holocene Mahakam delta, located along the tropical eastern shore of Kalimantan, Indonesia, is considered to be a textbook example of a mixed tide–fluvial dominated delta system. The delta prograded about 60 km during the past 5000 years, which led to the development of a distinct network of distributary and tidal channels. Wave action is low due the limited fetch in the narrow strait of Makassar. Mahakam River discharge is about a quarter of the Mississippi River discharge and is characterized by absence of flood surges. Therefore, natural levees, crevasse splays and avulsions are absent in the delta plain. For the past four decennia, both modern and ancient Mahakam delta deposits have been studied in detail in order to better understand subsurface Miocene and Tertiary Mahakam deposits, which host large volumes of hydrocarbons.

This study focuses on the dynamics and stratal patterns of delta plain, delta-front platform deposits and suspended sediments. Due to the predominance of semi-diurnal tides and the associated flow reversals, depositional patterns are highly variable which has resulted in the formation of characteristic sand–mud couplets. The distribution of the sand–mud couplets found in this study differs from previously proposed conceptual models. They are limited to the fluvial domain and form in the distributary channels (lateral channel bar) or at the fluvial dominated delta-front platform, which flanks the mouth bar deposits in offshore direction. The sand–mud couplets which formed as delta-front platform and lateral channel bar deposits are similar and can only be identified based on their ¹⁴C age. The sand content decreases significantly towards the tidal dominated areas due to limitation in transport capacity. Turbidity measurements taken in front of the river mouth also show rapid settlement of river plume sediments.

Some 22 new AMS ¹⁴C dates show that late Holocene sea level history resembles the eustatic sea level curve giving a first approximation of the Late Holocene sea level history for East Kalimantan. The dates suggest that the progradational delta system evolved under conditions of slowly rising sea level, which compares well to the eustatic sea level curve. In addition, calculated averaged deposition rates of the sand–mud couplets indicate that deposition is driven by the spring–neap tide cycles instead of the daily tidal cycle.     

Fluvial shoal water deltas: pre-vegetation sedimentation through the fluvial–marine transition,Lower Cambrian,English Channel region

Lower Palaeozoic fluvial systems tend to be more sand-prone than those of later eras and the nature of coastal environments less certain. Field studies are presented that characterize the fluvial to marine transition over a distance of 80 km, in the Lower Cambrian of the Cotentin Peninsula, northern France. The sedimentary rocks are divided into six facies associations which represent deposition in proximal fluvial, distal fluvial, delta plain, delta front, pro-delta and offshore carbonate bank environments. The basin fill is sandstone-dominated and subdivided into three stratigraphic intervals. A 200 to 300 m thick basal interval contains very coarse-grained fluvial sandstones deposited during a relative sea level lowstand. An overlying interval, 250 to 1500 m thick, is a facies mosaic. Fluvial strata in the north-west pass laterally south-east into deltaic and shallow marine pro-delta sediments. The delta front deposits show repetitively stacked, upward-coarsening parasequences, 8 to 10 m thick, which reflect the repeated progradation of lobate, fluvially-dominated deltas onto a shallow marine shelf. The deltas formed following marine transgression and accumulated during a period of gradually rising relative sea level. An upper unit, 130 m thick, containing offshore stromatolitic and oolitic limestones, caps the study interval and represents deposition during a relative sea level highstand. The fluvial and delta distributary channel sandstones of the middle unit contain <1% mudstone. The cohesionless substrate determined that deltaic distributaries were predominantly braided in character and subject to common bifurcations which resulted in an ordered diminution of channel size and competence in a seaward direction. Terminal distributary channels show evidence of migratory levées and mouth-bars and consistently delivered fine to medium-grained sand to the delta front. The study highlights an example of pre-vegetation deltaic sedimentation that was hydraulically organized and predictable, despite being fed by braided fluvial systems with high levels of peak discharge.     

Spatial variation of overbank aggradation rate and its influence on avulsion frequency

Abstract River avulsions are commonly considered to be driven by the aggradation and growth of alluvial ridges, and the associated increase in cross‐valley slope relative to either the down‐channel slope or the down‐valley slope (the latter is termed the slope ratio in the present paper). Therefore, spatial patterns of overbank aggradation rate over stratigraphically relevant time scales are critical in avulsion‐dominated models of alluvial architecture. Detailed evidence on centennial‐ to millennial‐scale floodplain deposition has, to date, been largely unavailable. New data on such long‐term overbank aggradation rates from the Rhine–Meuse and Mississippi deltas demonstrate that the rate of decrease of overbank deposition away from the channel belt is much larger than has been supposed hitherto, and can be similar to observations for single overbank floods. This leads to more rapid growth of alluvial ridges and more rapid increase in slope ratios, potentially resulting in increased avulsion frequencies. A revised input parameter for overbank aggradation rate was used in a three‐dimensional model of alluvial architecture to study its effect on avulsion frequency. Realistic patterns of avulsion and interavulsion periods (≈1000 years) were simulated with input data from the Holocene Rhine River, with avulsions occurring when the slope ratio is in the range 3–5. However, caution should be practised with respect to uncritical use of these numbers in different settings. Evidence from the two study areas suggests that the avulsion threshold cannot be represented by one single value, irrespective of whether critical slope ratios are used, as in the present study, or superelevation as has been proposed by other investigators.     

Architecture and sedimentology of the Kerinitis Gilbert‐type fan delta,Corinth Rift,Greece

The Kerinitis Delta in the Corinth Rift, Greece, is a footwall derived, coarse‐grained, Gilbert‐type fan delta deposited in the hangingwall of a linked normal fault system. This giant Gilbert‐type delta (radius 3·8 km, thickness > 600 m) was supplied by an antecedent river and built into a brackish to marine basin. Although as yet poorly dated, correlation with neighbouring deltas suggests that the Kerinitis Delta was deposited during a period of 500 to 800 ka in the Early to early Middle Pleistocene. Facies characterizing a range of depositional processes are assigned to four facies associations (topset, foreset, bottomset and prodelta). The dominantly fluvial topset facies association has locally developed shallow marine (limestone) and fluvial‐shoreface sub‐associations. This delta represents a subsidence‐dominated system in which high fault displacement overwhelmed base‐level falls (creation of accommodation predominantly ≥ 0). Stratal geometries and facies stacking patterns were used to identify 11 key stratal surfaces separating 11 stratal units. Each key stratal surface records a landward shift in the topset breakpoint path, indicating a rapid increase in accommodation/sediment supply. Each stratal unit records a gradual decrease in accommodation/sediment supply during deposition. The cyclic stratal units and key stratal surfaces are interpreted as recording eustatic falls and rises, respectively. A 30 m thick package of foresets below the main delta records the nucleation of a small Proto‐delta probably on an early relay ramp. Based on changes in stratal unit geometries, the main delta is divided into three packages, interpreted as recording the initiation, growth and death of the controlling fault system. The Lower delta comprises stacked, relatively thin, progradational stratal units recording low displacement on the young fault system (relay ramp). The Middle delta comprises vertically stacked stratal units, each recording initial aggradation–progradation followed by progradation; their aggradational component increases up through the Middle delta, which records the main phase of increasing rate of fault displacement. The Upper delta records pure progradation, recording abrupt cessation of movement on the fault. A major erosion surface incising basinward 120 m through the Lower and Middle delta records an exceptional submarine erosion process (canyon or delta collapse).     

Shoal‐water deltas in high‐accommodation settings: Insights from the lacustrine Valimi Formation (Gulf of Corinth,Greece)

The stratigraphic architecture of shoal‐water deltaic systems developed in low‐accommodation settings is relatively well‐known. In contrast, the features of shoal‐water deltas developed in high‐accommodation settings remain relatively poorly documented, especially when compared with the available data sets for Gilbert‐type deltaic systems developed in the same settings. The lacustrine Valimi Formation (Gulf of Corinth, Greece) provides an opportunity to investigate the facies assemblage and architectural style of shoal‐water deltaic systems developed in high‐accommodation settings. The studied interval accumulated during the Pliocene and Pleistocene and represents part of the early syn‐rift Gulf of Corinth succession. Six facies associations, each described in terms of depositional processes and geometries, have been identified and interpreted to represent a range of proximal to distal deltaic sub‐environments: delta plain, distributary channel, mouth‐bar, delta front, prodelta and open lake. The facies associations and their architectural elements reveal characteristics which are not common in traditionally described shoal‐water deltas. Of note, different facies arrangements are observed in the distributary channels in different sectors of the delta, passing from thick single‐storey channel fills embedded within delta‐plain fines in landward positions, to thin, amalgamated and multi‐storey channels closer to the river mouth. This study proposes a new depositional model for shoal‐water deltas in high‐accommodation settings documenting, for the first time, that shoal‐water delta deposits can form a substantial part of stratigraphic successions that accumulate in these settings. The proposed depositional model provides new criteria for the recognition and interpretation of these deposits; the results of this study have applied significance for reservoir characterization.