The Interplay Between Sediment Supply, Subsidence, and Basin Fill

Abstract

The general principles of mass balances between the drainage area of sedimentary basins and the corresponding basin fill were already discussed in Chapter 9.4. The examples described there were selected for the determination of long-term denudation rates. In this section, some basic laws of “basin-filling models” (e.g., Cross 1990; Angevine et al. 1990) are discussed. The filling of sedimentary basins is controlled by the interaction between specified, more or less independent factors, for example:

• Size and denudation characteristics of land areas delivering terrigenous sediments.

• Areal extent and geometry of corresponding basin.

• Tectonic subsidence of basin floor and compaction of sediments.

• Hydraulic regime of a river system or a water-filled basin.

• Eustatic sea level changes.

• General rules for autochthonous sediment production, including carbonate buildups.