Special Publication #85

Incised Valleys in Time and Space
Edited by: Robert W. Dalrymple, Dale A. Leckie and Roderick W. Tillman

This volume grew out of two SEPM-sponsored events, an SEPM Research Conference that took place in Casper, Wyoming, in 2002 (see Dalrymple, 2002, for a synopsis of the meeting), and an SEPM Research Symposium that was held at the AAPG/SEPM Annual Meeting in 2003. Several other papers have been added to broaden the range of examples presented. The theme of the volume, "Incised Valleys in Time and Space", has been chosen because of the comparison of valleys of different ages and in different settings is a valuable approach to understanding the role of the many factors that interact to create the valley and to emplace the subsequent valley-filling deposits. Each example, whether modern or ancient, represents a real-world experiment that lacks the temporal and spatial scaling issues that inhibit the application of laboratory experiments. Of course, the dependent and independent variables cannot be "controlled" in natural systems, but our ability to deduce the approximate values of these quantities (e.g., subsidence, sediment supply, climate) is increasing continually, such that semiquantitative and even quantitative estimates can be made in some cases.

Almost all of the papers in the volume discuss more than a single incised valley, comparing two or more contemporaneous valleys, or valleys of different ages in the same geographic area. Such comparisons bring similarities and differences into sharper focus than any collection of individual case studies could, and highlight the relative importance of the many factors that influence the resulting sedimentary succession. We believe that each of the papers presented here adds to our understanding of the fundamental controls on valley formation and filling; the Introduction to the Volume attempts to bring out some of the common themes.

Contents

Preface and Introduction

Preface Robert W. Dalrymple, Dale A. Leckie and Roderick W. Tillman

Incised valleys in time and space: an introduction to the volume and an examination of the controls on valley formation and filling Robert W. Dalrymple

Modern Systems

Alluvial valleys of the Ganga Plains, India: timing and causes of incision S. K. Tandon, M. R. Gibling, R. Sinha, V. Singh, P. Ghazanfari, A. Dasgupta, M. Jain and V. Jain

Basement control on shaping and infilling of valleys incised at the southern coast of Brittany, France David Menier, Jean-Yves Reynaud, Jean-Noël Proust, François Guillocheau, Pol Guennoc, Stéphane Bonnet, Bernadette Tessier and Evelyne Goubert

Spatial variability of modern incised valleys on the French Atlantic Coast: comparison between the Charente and the Lay-Sèvre incised valleys Eric Chaumillon and Nicolas Weber

The filling of an incised valley by shelf dunes -- an example from Hervey Bay, east coast of Australia Tobias H. D. Payenberg, Ron Boyd, Jonathon Beaudoin, Kevin Ruming, Shannon Davies, Jason Roberts and Simon C. Lang

Sedimentation and preservation of organic matter in an estuary, Niigata Plain, central Japan Akiko Omura, Koichi Hoyanagi, Mamiko Yoshida, Azusa Yamazaki, Miyuki Yamagishi and Atsushi Urabe

Overfilled versus underfilled incised valleys: examples from the Quaternary Gulf of Mexico Alexander R. Simms, John B. Anderson, Z. Patrick Taha and Antonio B. Rodriguez

Characteristics and formation of Late Quaternary incised-valley-fill sequences in sediment-rich deltas and estuaries: case studies from China Congxian Li, Ping Wang, Daidu Fan and Shouye Yang

A transgressive-regressive model of fjord-valley fill: stratigraphy, facies and depositional controls Geoffrey D. Corner

Valley-fill stratigraphy and evolution of the Målselv fjord valley, northern Norway Raymond Eilertsen, Geoffrey D. Corner, Odd Aasheim, Karin Andreassen, Yngve Kristoffersen and Helge Ystborg

Ancient Systems

The role of tectonics on the preservation of incised valley estuaries in areas with low accommodation rates: examples from Upper Cretaceous and Miocene successions in northern Brazil Dilce de Fátima Rossetti

Delta-plain paleodrainage patterns reflect small-scale fault movement and subtle forebulge uplift: Upper Cretaceous Dunvegan Formation, western Canada Foreland Basin A. Guy Plint and Jennifer A. Wadsworth

Effects of sedimentation rate, rate of relative rise in sea level, and duration of sea-level cycle on the filling of incised valleys: examples of filled and "overfilled" incised valleys from the upper Ferron Sandstone, Last Chance Delta, east-central Utah, U.S.A. James R. Garrison, Jr., and T. C. V. van den Bergh

Incised valleys on an Eocene coastal plain and shelf, Spitsbergen -- part of a linked shelf-slope system Piret Plink-Björklund and Ron Steel

Relative influences of tectonism, climate, and sea level on valley incision and sedimentary fill: new insights from Upper Cretaceous and Paleocene examples Anton F. -J. Wroblewski

Valley formation and filling in response to Neogene magmatic doming of Elba Island, Tuscany, Italy Vincenzo Pascucci, Martin Gibling and Fabio Sandrelli

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