Delta-front hyperpycnal bed geometry and implications for reservoir modeling: Cretaceous Panther Tongue delta, Book Cliffs, Utah

Outcrop architecture of a fluvio-lacustrine succession: Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation, Ordos Basin, China

“…The assemblage of lithofacies and sedimentary structures and their arrangement into distinct upward-coarsening cycles records the repeated progradation of the distal parts of lobes of a subaqueous delta (cf. Zou et al, 2010;Olariu et al, 2010). The lowermost part of each cycle (dark grey to black mudstone with horizontal bedding) represents an environment below wave base in a pro-delta (PD) setting.…”

“…The overlying thin grey-green siltstone-mudstone interbeds record weak scouring processes and wave action, which is typical of distal bar (DB) and mouth bar (MB) deposits (Turner et al, 2006). The sand-prone upper part of each cycle records in-channel deposition via weak hydrodynamic processes (Olariu et al, 2010). The presence of deformation structures implies localized relief on the accumulation surface and rapid accumulation, possibly in a subaqueous distributary channel (SCH) setting (Zou et al, 2010;Deng et al, 2011).…”

“…Shallow-water deltas in lake basins have been the subject of considerable study in recent years (Keighley et al, 2003;Keighley and Flint, 2008;Olariu et al, 2006Olariu et al, , 2010Turner and Tester, 2006;Zou et al, 2010). The Ordos Basin is commonly cited as an example of a shallow-water deltaic system (Zou et al, 2010;Deng et al, 2013).…”

“…Outcrop and seismic data from multiple studies demonstrate the existence of progradational configurations of most delta-front bodies, whether in marine or lake basins (Overeem et al, 2003;Olariu and Bhattacharya, 2006;Olariu et al, 2010;Turner and Tester, 2006;Jacob et al, 2010;Beate et al, 2010). Based on the type of basin, the gradient of the accumulation surface, and ratio between the rate of generation of accommodation via subsidence and the rate of sediment accumulation on the delta front, sand-body stacking patterns indicative of progradation can take the form of oblique, sigmoid and low-angle shingled arrangements (Berg, 1982;George, 1990).…”

“…Several aspects of the sedimentology of fluvio-lacustrine depositional systems have been the focus of considerable attention: (i) the establishment of criteria for the recognition of the preserved expression of different types of river systems at their point of terminus into lakes (e.g. Jiao et al,2005;Eric, 2007;Dill et al,2006;Nichols and Fisher, 2007;Ghinassi et al, 2009;Weissmann et al, 2010); (ii) the impact of terrestrial vegetation on fluvio-lacustrine sedimentation (Davies and Gibling, 2010a,b); (iii) the role of gravity-current and sandy debris-flow processes in governing sediment distribution to deep or off-shore lake areas (Shanmugam, 2000;Bouma, 2000); (iv) the development of objective criteria for the identification of lacustrine deltas (Morris et al, 1991;Olsen,1995;Carroll and Bohacs, 1999;Tanner and Lucas, 2010;Olariu et al, 2010); (v) the development of sequence stratigraphic models for fluvio-lacustrine successions (Keighley et al, 2003;Keighley and Flint, 2008);(vi) quantitative studies of the sedimentary architecuture of fluvio-lacustrine successions (Morris and Richmond, 1992;Taylor and Ritts, 2004;Colombera et al, 2012Colombera et al, , 2013.…”