Comparison between experimental and numerical stratigraphy emplaced by a prograding delta

Comparison between experimental and numerical stratigraphy emplaced by a prograding delta

Viparelli, E.
Blom, A.
Ferrer-Boix, C.
Kuprenas, R.

Civil Engineering and Geosciences

Hydraulic Engineering

2014-06-03

A one-dimensional model that is able to store the stratigraphy emplaced by a prograding delta is validated against experimental results. The laboratory experiment describes the migration of a Gilbert delta on a sloping basement into standing water, i.e., a condition in which the stratigraphy emplaced by the delta front is entirely stored in the deposit. The migration of the delta front and the deposition on the delta top are modeled with total and grain-size-based mass conservation models. The vertical sorting on the delta front is modeled with a lee-face-sorting model as a function of the grain size distribution of the sediment deposited at the brinkpoint, i.e., at the downstream end of the delta top. Notwithstanding the errors associated with the grain-size-specific bedload transport formulation, the comparison between numerical and experimental results shows that the model is able to reasonably describe the progradation of the delta front, the frictional resistances on the delta top, and the overall grain size distribution of the delta top and delta front deposits. Further validation of the model in the case of variable base level is currently in progress to allow for future studies, at field and laboratory scale, on how the delta stratigraphy is affected by different changes of relative base level.

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:5be2b22c-ffa8-4392-925f-77df15ec3a0c

https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2-323-2014

Copernicus Publications

2196-632X

Earth Surface Dynamics, 2, 2014

Institutional Repository

journal article

© Author(s) 2014. CC Attribution 3.0 License.