Recognizing the product of concave‐bank sedimentary processes in fluvial meander‐belt strata

Paul R. Durkin; Stephen M. Hubbard; John Holbrook; Zennon Weleschuk; Paul Nesbit; Chris Hugenholtz; Tania Lyons; Derald G. Smith

doi:10.1111/sed.12743

journal article May 21, 2020

Recognizing the product of concave‐bank sedimentary processes in fluvial meander‐belt strata

Paul R. Durkin Stephen M. Hubbard John Holbrook Zennon Weleschuk Paul Nesbit

Chris Hugenholtz Tania Lyons Derald G. Smith

Sedimentology Vol. 67 No. 6 pp. 2819-2849 · Wiley

View at Publisher Save 10.1111/sed.12743

Abstract

AbstractDownstream migration of point bars is an important process in meander belts. Inherent to downstream migration is sediment accumulation in concave channel banks, immediately adjacent to and downstream of convex point bars. Despite this, associated concave bank processes are often overlooked, with depositional products sparsely identified in the stratigraphic record. Counter‐point‐bar deposits are a type of concave‐bank deposit that have been positively identified in subsurface three‐dimensional seismic datasets, yet outcrop examples are not well‐constrained. This study characterizes and establishes recognition criteria of counter‐point‐bar deposits in outcrop using extensive exposure of Late‐Cretaceous meander‐belt deposits in eastern Alberta, Canada. Using a combination of traditional field‐based sedimentological analyses and three‐dimensional outcrop mapping with an Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle and Structure‐from‐Motion photogrammetry, point bar, counter‐point bar, and associated abandoned‐channel deposits, as well as adjacent floodplain deposits are identified. Bed‐scale characteristics of counter‐point‐bar deposits include interlaminated and interbedded siltstone and fine‐grained sandstone, abundant organic detritus, and evidence of deformation and slumping. At the bend scale, accretion packages bounded by internal erosion surfaces are composed of dipping siltstone and minor sandstone beds that extend from the top to the base of the meander belt. At the belt scale, positive identification relies on concave accretion surface mapping, their orientation relative to the meander‐belt edge (i.e. dipping away), and consideration of meander‐bend evolution. These results have implications for recognition of counter‐point‐bar deposits in analogous, less‐constrained data sets, which provides a foundation for more complete palaeoenvironmental interpretations.

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Metrics

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Citations

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References

Details

Published: May 21, 2020
Vol/Issue: 67(6)
Pages: 2819-2849
License: View

Authors

P

Paul R. Durkin

Department of Geological Sciences University of Manitoba Winnipeg MB R3T 2N2 Canada

S

Stephen M. Hubbard

Department of Geoscience University of Calgary Calgary AB T2N 1N4 Canada

J

John Holbrook

Department of Geological Sciences Texas Christian University Fort Worth TX 76129 USA

Z

Zennon Weleschuk

Department of Geoscience University of Calgary Calgary AB T2N 1N4 Canada

P

Paul Nesbit

Department of Geography University of Calgary Calgary AB T2N 1N4 Canada

C

Chris Hugenholtz

Department of Geography University of Calgary Calgary AB T2N 1N4 Canada

T

Tania Lyons

Department of Geoscience University of Calgary Calgary AB T2N 1N4 Canada

D

Derald G. Smith

Department of Geography University of Calgary Calgary AB T2N 1N4 Canada

Funding

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council

Nexen Inc

ConocoPhillips USA

Cite This Article

Paul R. Durkin, Stephen M. Hubbard, John Holbrook, et al. (2020). Recognizing the product of concave‐bank sedimentary processes in fluvial meander‐belt strata. Sedimentology, 67(6), 2819-2849. https://doi.org/10.1111/sed.12743

Recognizing the product of concave‐bank sedimentary processes in fluvial meander‐belt strata

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