scholarly journals Autogenic delta progradation during sea-level rise within incised valleys

Geology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Guerit ◽  
B.Z. Foreman ◽  
C. Chen ◽  
C. Paola ◽  
S. Castelltort
Keyword(s):  
Sediment Supply ◽  
Strong Decrease ◽  
Surface Evolution ◽  
Incised Valley ◽  
Sequence Stratigraphic ◽  
Base Level ◽  
Reservoir Models ◽  
Incised Valleys ◽  
Delta Progradation ◽  
The Trinity

Using a simple conceptual model of incised-valley evolution, we show that the classic sequence stratigraphic phenomenon of bayhead deltaic systems can be generated by purely autogenic progradation during the late stage of valley flooding. This transient “auto-advance” event occurs under conditions of constant base-level rise and sediment supply, and it results from a strong decrease of in-valley accommodation as base level rises toward the valley apex. We present a laboratory experiment to illustrate the plausibility of this mechanism and apply it to the incised valleys of the Trinity and Brazos Rivers (Texas, USA) as field case studies. Auto-advance can produce out-of-sequence regressive bayhead diastems during highstands similar to a transient change in allogenic forcing. Combined with other recent studies, our findings support the idea that mesoscale autogenic patterns are ubiquitous in the fluviodeltaic record and need to be more extensively incorporated into reconstructions of Earth surface evolution and reservoir models.

Autogenic progradation of Bayhead deltas during sea-level rise wIthin incised valleys : theory, experiment and field examples    

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laure Guerit ◽  
Brady Foreman ◽  
Chen Chen ◽  
Chris Paola ◽  
Sébastien Castelltort
Keyword(s):  
Sediment Transport ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Sediment Supply ◽  
Sediment Flux ◽  
Surface Evolution ◽  
Sequence Stratigraphic ◽  
Incised Valleys ◽  
The Trinity

<p>The evolution of sedimentary landscapes is primary driven by the interplay between the rate of accommodation creation A, controlled by sea-level and subsidence, and the rate of sediment supply S, controlled by erosion and sediment transport. In simple terms, the balance between A and S can be used to predict periods of progradation (when sediment supply exceeds accommodation) and periods of retrogradation (when accommodation exceeds sediment supply). However, a growing list of observations show that internal feedbacks within the sediment transport system can generate large-scale, autogenic stratigraphic patterns that are not anticipated by the A/S theory. These observations call for a reanalysis of several sequence stratigraphic precepts that assume a deterministic relationship between external forcings and stratigraphic products. Here, we focus on the filling of incised valleys during constant sea-level rise, and by a constant sediment flux. We develop a simple conceptual model of valley filling and we show that the classic sequence stratigraphic phenomenon of bayhead deltaic systems can be generated by purely autogenic progradation during the late stage of valley flooding. This transient “auto-advance” event results from a strong decrease of in-valley accommodation as base-level rises towards the valley apex. To test this model, we build a laboratory experiment that successfully reproduces the dynamics predicted by the model. Finally, we apply our model to two similar field examples, the Trinity and Brazos rivers incised valleys (Texas, USA). There systems are broadly similar in dimension and sea-level history but were filled at different sediment rates. We propose that this led to auto-advance event in the Trinity River valley while no advance is observed in the Brazos system. We thus show by conceptual, experimental and natural examples that auto-advance can produce out-of-sequence regressive bayhead diastems during highstands similar to a transient change in allogenic forcing. Combined with other recent studies, our findings support the idea that meso-scale autogenic patterns are ubiquitous in the fluvio-deltaic record, and need to be more extensively incorporated into reconstructions of Earth surface evolution and reservoir models.</p>

Stratigraphic records and variability of incised valleys and estuaries along French coasts

2010 ◽  
Vol 181 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Chaumillon ◽  
Bernadette Tessier ◽  
Jean-Yves Reynaud
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Promising Result ◽  
Sediment Supply ◽  
Controlling Factor ◽  
Incised Valley ◽  
Valley Fill ◽  
Incised Valleys ◽  
Valley Fills ◽  
Climate Events ◽  
Selection Of

Abstract Some of the striking results of the papers published in the special publication “French Incised valleys, estuaries and lagoons” of the Bulletin de la Société géologique de France are presented and compared. The selection of papers within this volume focuses exclusively on the recent progress made on modern French incised valleys, estuaries and lagoons around the coasts of France. Those papers together with abundant papers recently published on modern French incised valleys provide new insights for the knowledge on these sedimentary systems. The large amount of new results obtained is indebted to an extensive exploration within a large variety of estuaries, lagoons and coastal areas, from macrotidal tide-dominated, to microtidal wave-dominated, with also meso- to macrotidal mixed tide- and wave-dominated estuaries. These data allow comparing incised valleys within the same setting of tectonically stable and sediment starved margins, but showing contrasted conditions of hydrodynamics, sediment supply and bedrock control. At a stratigraphic level, sea-level variation is the main parameter controlling incised valley formation and sediment fill. The first-order controlling factor explaining the observed variations in valley fills is hydrodynamics. Three valley-fill categories are highlighted: tide-dominated, mixed tide-and-wave and wave-dominated, that match the classification based on hydrodynamics and morphology of present-day estuaries or lagoons. The second-order controlling factor explaining the observed variations in valley fills is the antecedent morphology of the bedrock, which in turn controls hydrodynamics and sediment supply. Finally, a promising result is the demonstration of the potential of incised valley fills to record high frequency environmental changes related to climate events and human activities.

scholarly journals Multiscale Erosion Surfaces of the Organic-Rich Barnett Shale, Fort Worth Basin, USA

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed O. Abouelresh
Keyword(s):  
Sediment Supply ◽  
Energy Conditions ◽  
Barnett Shale ◽  
Sequence Stratigraphic ◽  
Fort Worth Basin ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Base Level ◽  
Genetic Types ◽  
Sea Level Fluctuation ◽  
Associated Surfaces

The high frequency and diversity of erosion surfaces throughout the Barnett Shale give a unique view into the short-duration stratigraphic intervals that were previously much more difficult to detect in such fine-grained rocks. The erosion surfaces in Barnett Shale exhibit variable relief (5.08–61 mm) which commonly consists of shelly laminae, shale rip-up clasts, reworked mud intraclasts, phosphatic pellets, and/or diagenetic minerals (dolomite and pyrite) mostly with clay-rich mudstone groundmass. Several factors control this lithological variation, including the energy conditions, rate of relative sea-level fluctuation, rate of sedimentation, sediment influx, and the lithofacies type of the underlying as well as the overlying beds. The erosional features and their associated surfaces make them serve at least in part as boundaries between different genetic types of deposits but with different scales according to their dependence on base level and/or sediment supply. Accordingly, the studied erosion surfaces of the Barnett Shale can be grouped into three different scales of sequence stratigraphic surfaces: sequence-scale surfaces, parasequence-scale surfaces, and within trend-scale surfaces.

THE APPLICATION OF SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHY TO EXPLORATION AND RESERVOIR DEVELOPMENT IN THE COOPER-EROMANGA-BOWEN-SURAT BASIN SYSTEM

2001 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 223 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.C. Lang ◽  
P. Grech ◽  
R. Root ◽  
A. Hill ◽  
D. Harrison
Keyword(s):  
Sequence Stratigraphy ◽  
Sediment Supply ◽  
Sediment Flux ◽  
Sequence Stratigraphic ◽  
Base Level ◽  
Reservoir Development ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Water Tables ◽  
Marine System ◽  
Basin System

The application of sequence stratigraphy to non-marine strata in intracratonic basins is still in its infancy, however, the predominantly non-marine Cooper- Eromanga-Surat-Bowen basin system of Eastern Australia provides an excellent opportunity to demonstrate how sequence stratigraphic concepts can be applied to non-marine successions to assist with exploration and reservoir development. The key to applying sequence stratigraphic concepts in non-marine basins lies in understanding the role of alluvial sediment accommodation relative to sediment supply. Accommodation is created by a combination of tectonic subsidence, compaction and changing water tables in floodplain lakes, marshlands and peat mires. If the alluvial basin is directly connected to the marine system then eustacy may influence accommodation in the lower reaches of the alluvial network, but its effect will significantly diminish upstream depending on the slope. Climate change will, however, have an impact on fluvial discharge, rising water tables, floodplain lake levels, and sediment flux. For sediments to accumulate, accommodation must be positive, whereas negative accommodation leads to erosion. Fluvial accommodation is, therefore, comparable with the concept of base-level. During an episode of basin-wide tectonic uplift or tilting, falling base-level (negative accommodation) leads to widespread erosion on the basin margins or over intra-basinal highs, and an unconformity equivalent to a sequence boundary develops. If followed by a period of low accommodation, rivers rework much of their floodplain, resulting in a sheetlike, amalgamated succession of predominantly sandy bedload deposits of high nett to gross, equivalent to an alluvial lowstand. Further downstream, lowstand deltas may form in the lakes.

scholarly journals Tracking Barrier Island Response to Early Holocene Sea-level Rise: High Resolution Study of Estuarine Sediments in the Trinity River Paleovalley

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob Burstein ◽  
John Goff ◽  
Sean Gulick ◽  
Christopher Lowery ◽  
Patricia Standring ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Barrier Island ◽  
Barrier Islands ◽  
Sediment Supply ◽  
Incised Valley ◽  
Trinity River ◽  
Island System ◽  
The Trinity

Understanding how barrier islands respond to factors such as variations in sediment supply, relative sea-level rise, and accommodation is valuable for preparing coastal communities for future impacts of climate change. Increasingly, the underlying antecedent topography has been observed to have a significant control on the evolution of the barrier island system by providing increased elevation, decreased accommodation, and sediment supply for the barrier to rework and anchor upon. However, less attention has been focused on how back barrier sediments respond to this decreased accommodation, and how this may affect barrier island evolution. Additionally, the control in which the geometry of the underlying valley itself has on the initiation of barrier islands is poorly understood. Here we examine the stratigraphic framework of the Trinity River incised valley, offshore Galveston, Texas in order to investigate the role of antecedent topography in the evolution of an ancient barrier island system. We present high-resolution imaging of the Trinity incised valley fill using over 1200 km2 of 3D seismic, <700 km of 2D envelope and full waveform chirp data, along with 2 piston cores, 4 gravity cores, 1 platform boring, with associated grain size, foraminiferal, and radiocarbon data. We find that the geometry and elevation of the underlying antecedent topography plays a central role in the evolution of the barrier island system, promoting both initiation and stabilization. This study provides a methodology to investigate the evolution of a relict barrier island system where little to none of the barrier is preserved. With this methodology, we revise the established Holocene paleoshoreline model for the Trinity incised valley.

The Holocene transgression as recorded by incised-valley infilling in a rocky coast context with low sediment supply (southern Brittany, western France)

2010 ◽  
Vol 181 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Menier ◽  
Bernadette Tessier ◽  
Jean-Noël Proust ◽  
Agnès Baltzer ◽  
Philippe Sorrel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sediment Supply ◽  
Biological Origin ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Incised Valley ◽  
Radiocarbon Age ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Holocene Transgression ◽  
Incised Valleys ◽  
Rocky Coast ◽  
Strong Control

Abstract A combination of morphobathymetric studies, very high-resolution seismics, core sampling and radiocarbon age data is used to investigate the latest stage of the sedimentary infilling of incised valleys in southern Brittany, related to the Holocene transgression. Owing to the bedrock morphology of this highly irregular rocky coast, two main types of valleys are defined by topographic rocky highs parallel to the coastline: 1) wide and rather shallow incised valleys offshore from a topographic sill, 2) narrow and relatively deep valleys between the sill and the coast (ria-type valley). The sedimentary infilling in both types of valleys becomes highly differentiated as the transgression advances onto the coastal area. In the wide valley seaward of the topographic sill, the infilling consists mainly of offshore heterolithic facies while, in the ria-type valley, most of the infill is composed of brackish mudflat deposits and estuarine tidal muddy sands. As the transgression proceeds, the rocky highs are flooded and the whole area is finally covered by the offshore facies. Radiocarbon dating indicates that: 1) the marine ravinement surface is highly diachronous (a few thousand years cross-shore); 2) the top of the offshore facies, coarser and very shelly, represents an episode of condensed sedimentation from about 3000 to 4000 years ago, amalgamating the maximum flooding surface (MFS) and the highstand systems tract (HST). However, we observe a muddy drape, strongly bioturbated in places, in the most proximal areas, overlying the offshore facies. It is thought to represent the modern and most recent stage of sedimentary infilling. This mud cover is made of fine-grained sediments of fluvial and biological origin, and is interpreted as a prograding HST. It reflects an increased influx, partly due to human activities. Finally, the main features of incised valley sedimentary infilling in a rocky coast context with low sediment supply can be characterized by (i) the very strong control of bedrock morphology, (ii) the diachronous character of the transgression, (iii) the late position of the MFS, and (iv), the highly reduced volume of the HST.

High Resolution Sequence Stratigraphic Frameworks Research in the XII Group of the Member III of Qing Shankou Formation in the Qian'an Oilfield

2013 ◽  
Vol 339 ◽  
pp. 728-731 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cun Lei Li ◽  
Lei Qin ◽  
Xue Li ◽  
Xi Long Zhang
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Stratigraphic Correlation ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Middle Term ◽  
Sequence Stratigraphic ◽  
Base Level ◽  
Mud Logging ◽  
High Resolution Sequence Stratigraphy ◽  
Symmetric Structures

With the instruction of the high resolution sequence stratigraphy and sedimentology theory, and the comprehensive application of 11 wells core, more than 800 mud logging and log data, high resolution sequence stratigraphic characteristics research in the XII Group of the Member III of Qing Shankou Formation in the Qianan oilfield has been finished. The results show that the study area can be divided into one middle-term base level cycle and five short-term base level cycles. The only sequence structure of middle term cycle is (B type) and the short term cycle mainly consists of B types meanwhile there are small mounts of upward deepening structures (A type) and symmetric structures (C type). Based on the classification of base-level cycles, fine stratigraphic correlation is conducted by using isochronous cycle correlations. In addition, 15 high resolution sequence stratigraphic frameworks are established which unify the study area and provide the solid geological basis for the sandstone distribution, the identification of mainly oil-bearing sand bodies and potential oil reservoirs.

Sequence stratigraphy of the late Carboniferous Clifton Formation, New Brunswick

2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (11) ◽  
pp. 1289-1304
Author(s):  
Brandon M. Keough ◽  
Olivia A. King ◽  
Matthew R. Stimson ◽  
Page C. Quinton ◽  
Michael C. Rygel
Keyword(s):  
New Brunswick ◽  
Sediment Supply ◽  
Sequence Stratigraphic ◽  
Marine Strata ◽  
Stratigraphic Framework ◽  
Carbonaceous Shales ◽  
Study Interval ◽  
Maritimes Basin ◽  
Sequence Boundaries ◽  
Maximum Flooding Surface

The Maritimes Basin of Atlantic Canada contains a rich record of Pennsylvanian cyclothems. Previous studies have focused on rapidly subsiding depocenters in the central part of the basin where Carboniferous successions feature cyclic alternations between terrestrial and marginal marine strata. In contrast, the Pennsylvanian Clifton Formation was deposited on the relatively stable New Brunswick platform and contains almost entirely terrestrial strata. Although early studies of the Clifton Formation noted a cyclic architecture, particularly within Member B, this unit has remained understudied. We provide a sedimentological and sequence stratigraphic framework for the lower 85 m of Member B and interpret our results relative to a broader regional framework. Near the base of the study interval, the highstand systems tract is composed of red floodplain mudrocks; overlying sequence boundaries are composed of calcretes and (or) channels. The transgressive systems tract and maximum flooding surface are represented by coals and aquatic bivalve-bearing mudrocks. Moving upward through the section, the architecture of the highstand systems tract remains largely unchanged while sequence-bounding paleosols become less well developed, the transgressive systems tract becomes thinner and eventually not preserved, and the maximum flooding surface is only occasionally preserved, possibly represented by carbonaceous shales. These changes in cyclic architecture may be attributed to changes in the magnitude of glacioeustatic fluctuations, climate, and (or) the accommodation/sediment supply ratio. The results of this study show that the Clifton Formation represents the terrestrial/proximal endmember for cyclicity in the Maritimes Basin and provide new insight into paleotopography as a possible control on cyclothem architecture.

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