Laboratory experiment of a mixed-sediment Gilbert delta under varying base level

Abstract

The objective of the present study is to provide detailed data from a laboratory experiment on how the stratigraphy of a Gilbert delta deposit is affected by a temporal variation in sea level.
The experiment was conducted in the Water Lab of the Department of Hydraulic Engineering of Delft University of Technology. The flume has an effective length of 14.2 m and a width of 40 cm. Three wellsorted grain size fractions were used: 0.8-1.2 mm, 1.7-2.5 mm, and 3-5 mm. The volume fractions of the three grain sizes in the mixture fed to the flume were 0.50, 0.35, and 0.15, respectively. The grains were painted blue, red, and yellow, respectively, using a concrete mixer. The discharge was set at 9.8 l/s. The Froude number at the brinkpoint was equal to 0.42.