Tulane Sediment Dynamics and Quantitative Stratigraphy Group

Experiment to explore shelf-edge deltas and coupled downslope submarine fan systems that experience changes in relative sea level. Stage 1 included construction of system with constant relative sea level, stage 2 captured system evolving under short relative sea level cycles with small magnitudes, stage 3 captured system evolving under a long relative sea level cycles with a large magnitude. Size and durations of relative sea level cycles were scaled to autogenic scales. Input flow was delivered with a flood cycle and input flow contained dissolved salt to promote plunging of turbidity currents at shelf-edge.

TDB-16-3: Fan-delta experiment performed in Tulane University Delta Basin. Experiment evolved under constant forcings of water (0.17 l/s), mean sediment (1.41 kg/hr), and long term sea-level rise rate (0.25 mm/hr). Experiment run time was 875 hr. Experiment used a strongly cohesive sediment that had a wide grain size distribution with a median diameter of 65 microns. Sediment supply rate remained constant until run hour 140. During run hour 140-385 sediment supply followed a sine wave pattern with period of 24.5 hrs and peak-to-peak amplitude of 0.87 kg/h. During run hour 385-875, sediment supply followed a sine wave pattern with period of 98 hr and peak-to-peak amplitude of 0.43 kg/hr. Experiment performed to explore interaction of autogenic sediment transport with sediment supply cycles and resulting stratigraphy with topography monitored every 1 hour of run time.

TDB-16-2: Fan-delta experiment performed in Tulane University Delta Basin. Experiment evolved under constant forcings of water discharge (0.17 l/s), mean sediment supply (1.41 kg/hr), and long term sea-level rise rate (0.25 mm/hr). Experiment run time was 630 hr. Experiment used a strongly cohesive sediment that had a wide grain size distribution with a median diameter of 65 microns. Sediment supply during the final 490 hrs followed a sine wave pattern with period of 98 hrs and peak-to-peak amplitude of 0.22 kg/h. Experiment performed to explore interaction of autogenic sediment transport with sediment supply cycles and resulting stratigraphy with topography monitored every 1 hour of run time.

TDB-16-1: Fan-delta experiment performed in Tulane University Delta Basin. Experiment evolved under constant forcings of water (0.17 l/s), mean sediment (1.41 kg/hr), and long term sea-level rise rate (0.25 mm/hr). Experiment run time was 630 hr. Experiment used a strongly cohesive sediment that had a wide grain size distribution with a median diameter of 65 microns. Sediment supply during the final 490 hrs followed a sine wave pattern with period of 24.5 hrs and peak-to-peak amplitude of 0.22 kg/h. Experiment performed to explore interaction of autogenic sediment transport with sediment supply cycles and resulting stratigraphy with topography monitored every 1 hour of run time.

TDB-15-2: Fan-delta experiment performed in Tulane University Delta Basin. Experiment evolved under constant sea-level rise rate of 0.25 mm/hr, and variable forcings of water and sediment. After run hour 300, water discharge alternated between 0.14 L/s and 0.45 L/s, and sediment discharge alternated between 0.00014 L/s and 0.00045 L/s. Prior to run hour 300, water discharge was 0.17 L/s, and sediment discharge was 0.00017 L/s. Experiment used a strongly cohesive sediment that had a wide grain size distribution with a median diameter of 65 microns. Total experiment run time was 733 hr, variable discharge began after hour 300. Experiment was paused every 1.1 hours for data collection.

After variable flow was initiated, the following data were collected during each 1.1 hr cycle:

-Overhead photo during low flow conditions
-Overhead photo during high flow conditions
-Overhead photo during experiment pause while delta top was dry.
-Topographic scan during high flow conditions.
-Topographic scan during pause/dry conditions.


Data Files:

Folder "TDB_15_2 Original Data" contains overhead raw overhead photographs (.jpg) and scans (point cloud .xyz). Each row of the point cloud contains the following data:

[row col X Y Z R G B];

Folder "TDB_15_2_Results and Processed Data" contains overhead photograph and scan data gridded to a 5mm x 5 mm grid. Gridded data begins at hour 535, after the final scanner physical location was established. RGB color data included in the "Scans_Gridded" folder was collected with the scanner, at the same time as topographic (Z) data.

All length data (X, Y, Z) are in meters. All colors (R, G, B) are in intensities from 1 to 255. Colors in gridded data sets may be non-integers because of the interpolation process. A value of NaN indicates no data in that grid cell.

TDB_15_2_BasinDimensions.png shows the dimensions of the experimental entrance condition, and orients the coordinate system.

TDB_15_2_RunTimeConversions.xlsx shows the conversion between run hours and run cycles.

TDB-14-1: Fan-delta experiment performed in Tulane University Delta Basin. Experiment evolved under constant forcings of water (0.17 l/s), sediment (0.00017 l/s), and long term sea-level rise rate (0.25 mm/hr). Experiment run time was 630 hr. Experiment used a strongly cohesive sediment that had a wide grain size distribution with a median diameter of 65 microns. Superimposed on the long term sea-level rise were sea-level cycles with periods of 98 hrs and amplitudes of 24.5 mm. Experiment performed to explore interaction of autogenic sediment transport with sea-level cycles and resulting stratigraphy with topography monitored every 1 hour of run time.

TDB-10-2: Fan-delta experiment performed in Tulane University Delta Basin. Experiment evolved under constant forcings of water (0.902 l/s), sediment (0.022 l/s), and sea-level rise rate 10 mm/hr). Experiment run time was 39.3 hr. Experiment used non-cohesive sediment that was 70% by volume well sorted quartz sand with a median diameter of 110 microns and 30% by volume crushed coal with a median diameter of 400 microns. Experiment performed to explore autogenic sediment transport and stratigraphy with topography monitored every 2 minutes of run time.

These materials have been migrated from SEAD 1.5. This abstract has been added since one did not exist in the original 1.5 collection. If not explicitly set, the owner of the original collection has been assumed as the creator for migration purposes.

TDB-11-1: Fan-delta experiment performed in Tulane University Delta Basin. Experiment evolved under constant forcings of water (0.902 l/s), sediment (0.011 l/s), and sea-level rise rate 5 mm/hr). Experiment run time was 77.2 hr. Experiment used non-cohesive sediment that was 70% by volume well sorted quartz sand with a median diameter of 110 microns and 30% by volume crushed coal with a median diameter of 400 microns. Experiment performed to explore autogenic sediment transport and stratigraphy with topography monitored every 2 minutes of run time.

TDB-10-1: Fan-delta experiment performed in Tulane University Delta Basin. Experiment evolved under constant forcings of water (0.451 l/s), sediment (0.011 l/s), and sea-level rise rate 5 mm/hr). Experiment run time was 78.2 hr. Experiment used non-cohesive sediment that was 70% by volume well sorted quartz sand with a median diameter of 110 microns and 30% by volume crushed coal with a median diameter of 400 microns. Experiment performed to explore autogenic sediment transport and stratigraphy with topography monitored every 2 minutes of run time.

TDB-15-1: Fan-delta experiment performed in Tulane University Delta Basin. Experiment evolved under constant forcings of water (0.17 l/s), sediment (0.00017 l/s), and long term sea-level rise rate (0.25 mm/hr). Experiment run time was 1170 hr. Experiment used a strongly cohesive sediment that had a wide grain size distribution with a median diameter of 65 microns. Superimposed on the long term sea-level rise were sea-level cycles. The experiment was split into 2 stages. The first stage had sea-level cycles with periods of 98 hrs and amplitudes of 3.06 mm. The second stage had sea-level cycles with periods of 24.5 hrs and amplitudes of 12.25 mm. Experiment performed to explore interaction of autogenic sediment transport with sea-level cycles and resulting stratigraphy with topography monitored every 1 hour of run time.

TDB-14-2: Fan-delta experiment performed in Tulane University Delta Basin. Experiment evolved under constant forcings of water (0.17 l/s), sediment (0.00017 l/s), and long term sea-level rise rate (0.25 mm/hr). Experiment run time was 1170 hr. Experiment used a strongly cohesive sediment that had a wide grain size distribution with a median diameter of 65 microns. Superimposed on the long term sea-level rise were sea-level cycles. The experiment was split into 2 stages. The first stage had sea-level cycles with periods of 24.5 hrs and amplitudes of 6.125 mm. The second stage had sea-level cycles with periods of 24.5 hrs and amplitudes of 3.06 mm. Experiment performed to explore interaction of autogenic sediment transport with sea-level cycles and resulting stratigraphy with topography monitored every 1 hour of run time.