Deltaic 

- deltas

 Form where rivers empty into a spot where the flow is zero:
o Typically a sea (or lake or other still water)
o BUT can also be a river emptying into a desert, like
Botswana's Okavango Delta (and ancient deltas, as in the Karoo
Supergroup of southern Africa or the Nemegt Formation of Mongolia)
 Suddenly stream flow drops down to zero: material falls out of suspension.
 Deltas are modified in shape by waves, tides, and stream forces, but produce
same general facies (discussion below assumes delta into water: substitute
"desert deposits" and "desert fossils" as appropriate for Okavango model!):
o Topsets (delta plain): sand and silt, nearly horizontal, cut through with
stream channel deposits and with paludal facies, will contain terrestrial
fossils
o Foresets (delta front): grade into silt and clay, slope seaward, will
contain marine fossils, but also some material washed in from
terrestrial environment
o Bottomsets (prodelta): clay, horizontal beds, marine fossils dominate
 Deltas build seaward, or prograde. Thus, bottomsets are deposited at a
particular spot, then covered by foresets as the delta front moves past, then
by topsets as that spot has become filled with sediment to the surface. So, by
Walther's Law, deltaic sediments come in stacks that coarsen
upwards (opposite of fluvial).
 Because active lobes of deltas change position from time to time, can
accumulate many episodes of deltaic sedimentation on any spot.
Deltas are wetlands that form as rivers empty their water and sediment into
another body of water, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. Although very
uncommon, deltas can also empty into land.

A river moves more slowly as it nears its mouth, or end. This

causes sediment, solid material carried downstream by currents, to fall to the
river bottom.

The slowing velocity of the river and the build-up of sediment allows the river
to break from its single channel as it nears its mouth. Under the right
conditions, a river forms a deltaic lobe. A mature deltaic lobe includes
a distributary network—a series of smaller, shallower channels, called
distributaries, that branch off from the mainstream of the river.

In a deltaic lobe, heavier, coarser material settles first.

Smaller, finer sediment is carried farther downstream. The finest material is
deposited beyond the river's mouth. This material is
called alluvium or silt. Silt is rich in nutrients that help microbes and plants—
the producers in the food web—grow.

As silt builds up, new land is formed. This is the delta. A delta extends a river's
mouth into the body of water into which it is emptying.

A delta is sometimes divided into two parts: subaqueous and subaerial. The
subaqueous part of a delta is underwater. This is the most steeply sloping part
of the delta, and contains the finest silt. The newest part of the
subaqueous delta, furthest from the mouth of the river, is called the prodelta.

The subaerial part of a delta is above water. The subaerial region most
influenced by waves and tides is called the lower delta. The region most
influenced by the river's flow is called the upper delta.

This nutrient-rich wetland of the upper and lower delta can be an extension of

the river bank, or a series of narrow islands between the
river's distributary network.

Like most wetlands, deltas are incredibly diverse and

ecologically important ecosystems. Deltas absorb runoff from
both floods (from rivers) and storms (from lakes or the
ocean). Deltas also filter water as it slowly makes its way through
 the delta's distributary network. This can reduce the impact of pollution flowing
from upstream.

 The delta plain is a visible, broad, low-lying land mass where a river empties into a body of
water. The sediment is transported to an open body of water (like the Gulf of Mexico) via
distributary channels that stem off from the main river route. The remaining components
become subaqueous and only the shallowest are visible in satellite imagery.
 A mouth bar is created when the distributary channel ends and water speed decreases,
resulting in deposition of sediment.
 At the bottom of the slope is the delta front. The front is a shallow, subtidal portion of the
delta where erosion and/or deposition and waves/tides are present.
 The prodelta is farther offshore and deeper below the influence of waves or tides. Here,
sediment deposition is slowest and consists of the finer and lighter particles deposited from
the river.
Deltas, like the Mississippi River Birdsfoot Delta, are river-dominated ecosystems. A river-
dominated delta is only partially influenced by tides and waves. In this instance, wave energy
dissipates before connecting with the coastline. These delta types are formed by sediment
transport and deposition, also known as “fluvial processes.” As sediment is carried into the
water column, it makes the way to the mouth of the river, where it is distributed and fans out like
water from a hose laid in your yard. The distance that the sediment travels is based on the
characteristics of the sediment (size and composition) and the speed at which it is
carried. Distributary channels help to build out the delta lobes over time as sediment is
reworked by tides and waves.