Modelling Holocene stratigraphy and depocentre migration of the Volga delta due to Caspian Sea-level change

The Volga system is sensitive to allogenic control due to its low on- and offshore gradient (similar to 5 cm/km). In sequence stratigraphy, little attention has been paid to the effects of sea-level change in these ramp-margin fluvio-deltaic settings. The high-frequency sea-level changes of the Caspian basin have considerable amplitude (up to 18 m) over the Holocene time-span, which is usually considered as the lower boundary of fifth-order cycles. A process-response model, AQUATELLUS, has been used to investigate fluvio-deltaic response to sea-level fluctuation. Calibration of the model with measured data over the last century, comprising a full 3-m sea-level cycle, showed plausible progradation and sedimentation rates. The numerical modelling showed that sea-level changes forced the Holocene Volga delta to migrate similar to 200 km over the Caspian plain, leaving only thin laterally extensive deposits. The frequent depocentre shifts add a whole new perspective to the ongoing discussion about the impact of sea-level changes along the longitudinal profile. The periods during which significant deposition occurred coincide with the times that migration distances were relatively low. Thicker progradational wedges have been deposited at these time intervals, at similar to 9000-8000, similar to 7400-6700, similar to 5200-3700 and similar to 2400-900 years BP. C-14 dated deposits in the lower delta plain area corroborate the model output. Remarkably, this is both in highstand and lowstand conditions. The low gradient makes wave effects insignificant and tides are nonexistent, so that the fluvial deposits are hardly reworked and no shoreface facies or maximum flooding surface develop. The Volga delta response indicates that sequence-stratigraphic concepts are not scale-independent in low-gradient settings and that short-term high-frequency sea-level changes have a far-reaching impact on the stratigraphy. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.