An example of river course changes on a delta plain: Seyhan Delta (Çukurova plain, southern Turkey)

Abstract

The three-dimensional sedimentary architecture of wind- and wave-dominated deltas fed by more than one major river system is poorly documented in the scientific literature. The Seyhan–Ceyhan–Tarsus delta in southern Turkey, described in this paper, presents a detailed layer-cake model for such a system. It further documents the planform evolution of the system over the past 4000 years using aerial photography and field mapping together with a series of transects of commercial sedimentary cores with a maximum vertical penetration of 300 m. This latter high-density dataset is unique and affords the opportunity (i) to examine the evolution of this clastic system; (ii) to demonstrate how large-scale erosional truncations in wind- and wave-dominated deltas may be incorrectly interpreted as transgressive surfaces in analogue ancient systems; (iii) to show how major changes in drainage pattern can occur in this environment; and (iv) to sound a note of caution for the interference of man in an area particularly prone to erosion, in this case by the erection of major dams. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.