Evolution of a Delta-canyon-fan system on a typical passive margin using stratigraphic forward modelling

Abstract The present work simulated a hypothetical 4D delta-canyon-fan depositional system using stratigraphic forward modelling (SFM) to: 1) investigate the differences and linkages of the sea-level control on the evolution of each sub-environment; 2) explain the evolution under the constraints of sea-level change from the perspective of channel activities. The SFM approach LECODE applied in this study combines an open-channel flow approach with a non-uniform sediment transport algorithm, with former to simulate water dynamics of turbidity currents and river flows and latter to simulate the transportation, deposition, and erosion of sediments. The input data is calibrated via sensitivity analysis and survey of analogue records. The results are compared with three sets of actual seismic data as verification. After introducing the general characteristics of the model, this study compares the influence of sea-level change on the delta, canyon, and fan, respectively, by analysing stratigraphic framework, the architecture of channel-levee complex, channel distribution and migration, sedimentation/erosion rate, and peak velocity. Moreover, a higher sediment supply case and a lower sediment supply case are compared to test the situation when sediment supply is less dominant. Finally, the influence of sea-level change on channel migration is discussed and the system evolution, especially the canyon evolution, is explained from the view of channel activities. The results show that sea-level control will be weakened from the delta to the fan via the canyon along with sediment transport. With higher sediment supply, the weakening is stronger. With lower sediment supply, the whole system is more sensitive to the sea-level change and this sensitivity lasts longer. The channel migration is more influenced by local topography, even adjacent topography, rather than sea-level change. The inner bank erosion near the canyon head is directly related to the shelf morphology. The translation and asymmetrical distribution of turbidity channels result in the translation and asymmetrical erosion of canyon bends. The insights extracted from this study could discriminate sea-level control on submarine canyon and fan instead of regarding them as an entirety of ultimate sink in source-to-sink research. Also, the integrated investigation with both qualified perspectives and quantified data could refine sequence stratigraphic concepts and provide a prototype for hydrocarbon exploration on high-sediment-supply river-fed delta-canyon-fan systems.