The response of deltaic systems to climatic and hydrological changes in Daihai Lake rift basin, Inner Mongolia, northern China

Abstract

Delta systems are ubiquitous around lacustrine rift basins. Its peripheral geometry, progradation structures and sedimentary successions were controlled by both tectonic settings and climatic changes. Peripheral geometry of a delta was strongly influenced by depositional gradients which formed the fan-shape delta on the steep slopes and developed the lobe-shape delta on the gentle slopes. Due to the discharge feed rivers can change rapidly driven by climatic variations, and the nearshore area of deltas display considerable facies variability. The rise of annual rainfall, which suggests the rivers feeding deltas are continuous, and result in distributary mouth bars that are prevalent in the front of deltas since the down-slope flows are greater than the along-slope currents. On the contrary, when the annual rainfall decreases and evaporation increases, the rivers only can feed deltas ephemerally. If the along-slope currents were in a dominant position, the distal bars were deposited. Progradation structure and sedimentary successions of deltas were controlled by the gradients of slopes. On gentle depositional slopes, shingle foreset beds predominate with fine sediments and small-scale sedimentary structures or vice versa.