Transgressive depositional systems: coastal deltas and incised valley fills

Esther Stouthamer, Steven Darby, Douglas Edmonds

The surface and subsurface of Holocene deltas and incised valley fills are formed under the influence of post-glacial sea-level rise, in interplay with sediment supply, tectonics, and autogenic processes. Upstream sediment supply to a delta or incised valley is mainly controlled by climate and human impact (e.g. river damming). Downstream deposition is controlled by coastal morphology, waves, tides, and rivers debouching into the sea or ocean. Besides these up- and downstream controls, inherited topography and autogenic forcing within a delta system or incised valley determines its depositional development over time.
In this session we focus on post-glacial depositional processes in transgressive systems, their surficial evolution and resulting subsurface architecture over time. We specifically welcome contributions on how changes in upstream (e.g. climate, human intervention) and downstream (e.g. sea-level) boundary conditions, autogenic processes (e.g. avulsion), and fluvial-coastal interaction over time influence the coupled evolution of the surface and subsurface of modern deltas and river plains.