Holocene delta plain development in the Song Hong (Red River) delta, Vietnam

Abstract

Holocene delta plain development was investigated based on three sediment cores analyzed in detail from the Song Hong (Red River) delta plain in Vietnam. Two cores (DA and PD) from the western delta plain showed both the landward limit of the transgressive estuarine system in the valley incised during the last glacial maximum and floodplain evolution since the middle Holocene. On the other hand, a core (TL) from the eastern delta plain revealed a Pleistocene terrace buried under the deltaic sediments and a slow accumulation rate compared with that in the west. At 8 cal ky BP, the shoreline migrated very close to the present Hanoi city area, and the sedimentary environment changed to tidal flat or salt marsh. Hanoi city marks the northern limit of shoreline transgression. The mangrove swamp expanded from 8 to 5 cal ky BP to the landward limit of the delta plain. Subsequently, the shoreline migrated seaward as a result of delta progradation and sea-level lowering. From 5 cal ky BP, the emerged area evolved into a floodplain and natural levees formed along the abandoned river channels on the western delta plain, but at 2 cal ky, archeological sites indicate that the Holocene terrace in the eastern delta plain was still inundated.