Sediment compaction rates and subsidence in deltaic plains: Numerical constraints and stratigraphic influences

Basin Research
By: , and 

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Abstract

Natural sediment compaction in deltaic plains influences subsidence rates and the evolution of deltaic morphology. Determining compaction rates requires detailed knowledge of subsurface geotechnical properties and depositional history, neither of which is often readily available. To overcome this lack of knowledge, we numerically forward model the incremental sedimentation and compaction of stochastically generated stratigraphies with geotechnical properties typical of modern depositional environments in the Mississippi River delta plain. Using a Monte Carlo approach, the range of probable compaction rates for stratigraphies with compacted thicknesses <150 m and accumulation times <20 kyr. varies, but maximum values rarely exceed a few mm yr−1. The fastest compacting stratigraphies are composed primarily of peat and bar sand, whereas the slowest compacting stratigraphies are composed of prodelta mud and natural levee deposits. These results suggest that compaction rates can significantly influence vertical and lateral stratigraphic trends during deltaic evolution.
Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Sediment compaction rates and subsidence in deltaic plains: Numerical constraints and stratigraphic influences
Series title Basin Research
DOI 10.1111/j.1365-2117.2006.00310.x
Volume 19
Issue 1
Year Published 2007
Language English
Publisher Wiley
Contributing office(s) Coastal and Marine Geology Program
Description 13 p.
Larger Work Type Article
Larger Work Subtype Journal Article
Larger Work Title Basin Research
First page 19
Last page 31
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