Tulane experiments on sea level influence on delta dynamics & stratigraphy
Delta (TDB-15-1-S2) experiencing large magnitude, short period relative sea
level cycles. Video of laboratory experiment documenting evolution of channelized delta experiencing large magnitude and short
period relative sea level perturbations. While relative sea level is changing the experiment had constant feed rates of input water and cohesive sediment
and a long term sea level rise trend that mimics subsidence. Experiment shares identical boundary conditions as TDB-12, except for the relative sea
level cycles. Digital video was collected from camera above the basin. Images were taken every 15 minutes with input water dyed to aid identification
of flow field. Colored sediment represents coarsest 10% of input sediment distribution. More details of experiment can be found in manuscript: Li, Q., Yu, L., Straub, K.M., 2016, Storage thresholds for relative sea-level signals in the
stratigraphic record, Geology, v. 44, p. 179-182, DOI: 10.1130/G37484.1. Yu, L., Li, Q. and Straub, K.M., 2017, Scaling the response of deltas to relative sea level cycles by autogenic space and time scales: A laboratory study,
Journal of Sedimentary Research, v. 87, p. 817-838, DOI: 10.2110/jsr.2017.46.
Delta (TDB-15-1-S1) experiencing small magnitude, long period relative sea
level cycles. Video of laboratory experiment documenting evolution of channelized delta experiencing small magnitude and long
period relative sea level perturbations. While relative sea level is changing the experiment had constant feed rates of input water and cohesive sediment
and a long term sea level rise trend that mimics subsidence. Experiment shares identical boundary conditions as TDB-12, except for the relative sea
level cycles. Digital video was collected from camera above the basin. Images were taken every 15 minutes with input water dyed to aid identification
of flow field. Colored sediment represents coarsest 10% of input sediment distribution. More details of experiment can be found in manuscript: Li, Q., Yu, L., Straub, K.M., 2016, Storage thresholds for relative sea-level signals in the
stratigraphic record, Geology, v. 44, p. 179-182, DOI: 10.1130/G37484.1. Yu, L., Li, Q. and Straub, K.M., 2017, Scaling the response of deltas to relative sea level cycles by autogenic space and time scales: A laboratory study,
Journal of Sedimentary Research, v. 87, p. 817-838, DOI: 10.2110/jsr.2017.46.
Delta (TDB-14-2-S2) experiencing small magnitude, short period relative sea
level cycles. Video of laboratory experiment documenting evolution of channelized delta experiencing small magnitude and short
period relative sea level perturbations. While relative sea level is changing the experiment had constant feed rates of input water and cohesive sediment
and a long term sea level rise trend that mimics subsidence. Experiment shares identical boundary conditions as TDB-12, except for the relative sea
level cycles. Digital video was collected from camera above the basin. Images were taken every 15 minutes with input water dyed to aid identification
of flow field. Colored sediment represents coarsest 10% of input sediment distribution. More details of experiment can be found in manuscript: Li, Q., Yu, L., Straub, K.M., 2016, Storage thresholds for relative sea-level signals in the
stratigraphic record, Geology, v. 44, p. 179-182, DOI: 10.1130/G37484.1. Yu, L., Li, Q. and Straub, K.M., 2017, Scaling the response of deltas to relative sea level cycles by autogenic space and time scales: A laboratory study,
Journal of Sedimentary Research, v. 87, p. 817-838, DOI: 10.2110/jsr.2017.46.
Delta (TDB-14-2-S1) experiencing moderately large magnitude, short period relative sea
level cycles. Video of laboratory experiment documenting evolution of channelized delta experiencing moderately large magnitude and short
period relative sea level perturbations. While relative sea level is changing the experiment had constant feed rates of input water and cohesive sediment
and a long term sea level rise trend that mimics subsidence. Experiment shares identical boundary conditions as TDB-12, except for the relative sea
level cycles. Digital video was collected from camera above the basin. Images were taken every 15 minutes with input water dyed to aid identification
of flow field. Colored sediment represents coarsest 10% of input sediment distribution. More details of experiment can be found in manuscript: Li, Q., Yu, L., Straub, K.M., 2016, Storage thresholds for relative sea-level signals in the
stratigraphic record, Geology, v. 44, p. 179-182, DOI: 10.1130/G37484.1. Yu, L., Li, Q. and Straub, K.M., 2017, Scaling the response of deltas to relative sea level cycles by autogenic space and time scales: A laboratory study,
Journal of Sedimentary Research, v. 87, p. 817-838, DOI: 10.2110/jsr.2017.46.
Delta (TDB-14-1) experiencing large magnitude, long period relative sea
level cycles. Video of laboratory experiment documenting evolution of channelized delta experiencing large magnitude and long
period relative sea level perturbations. While relative sea level is changing the experiment had constant feed rates of input water and cohesive sediment
and a long term sea level rise trend that mimics subsidence. Experiment shares identical boundary conditions as TDB-12, except for the relative sea
level cycles. Digital video was collected from camera above the basin. Images were taken every 15 minutes with input water dyed to aid identification
of flow field. Colored sediment represents coarsest 10% of input sediment distribution. More details of experiment can be found in manuscript: Li, Q., Yu, L., Straub, K.M., 2016, Storage thresholds for relative sea-level signals in the
stratigraphic record, Geology, v. 44, p. 179-182, DOI: 10.1130/G37484.1. Yu, L., Li, Q. and Straub, K.M., 2017, Scaling the response of deltas to relative sea level cycles by autogenic space and time scales: A laboratory study,
Journal of Sedimentary Research, v. 87, p. 817-838, DOI: 10.2110/jsr.2017.46.
Synthetic Stratigraphy of Deltas experiancing different sea level histories. Evolution of example dip sections from experimental deltas that experienced (a) constant boundary conditions, (b) large magnitude, short-period sea level fluctuations, and (c) very large-magnitude, long-period sea level fluctuations (Li et al. 2016), depicting subaerial (terrestrial) deposition ( yellow) and subaqueous (marine) deposition ( gray). Synthetic stratigraphy is generated from stacked maps of topography that have been clipped for erosion. (Inset) Location of dip panels. Typically allogenic drivers are thought to be responsible for the largest and most prominent patterns in the sedimentary archive; however, the entirely autogenic experimental deposit (a) shows fairly regular packaging with a few large transgression–regression cycles, each comprising several smaller-order cycles. In contrast, deposits of the sea level–forced experiments, especially those in panel b, produced stratigraphy that appears less organized, with discontinuous flooding surfaces and less regular stratigraphic packaging. More details of experiment can be found in manuscript: Li, Q., Yu, L., Straub, K.M., 2016, Storage thresholds for relative sea-level signals in the
stratigraphic record, Geology, v. 44, p. 179-182, DOI: 10.1130/G37484.1. Yu, L., Li, Q. and Straub, K.M., 2017, Scaling the response of deltas to relative sea level cycles by autogenic space and time scales: A laboratory study,
Journal of Sedimentary Research, v. 87, p. 817-838, DOI: 10.2110/jsr.2017.46. Hajek, E.A. and Straub, K.M., 2017, Autogenic sedimentation in clastic stratigraphy, Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, v. 45, p. 681-709, DOI: 10.1146/annurev-earth-063016-015935.
Tulane experiments on sea level influence on delta dynamics & stratigraphy