Terrace inundation as an autocyclic mechanism for parasequence formation: Galveston Estuary, Texas, USA

Architecture of late Quaternary incised-valley fills is commonly attributed to the interplay between sea-level rise, sediment supply, and hydrodynamic processes. Inundation of fluvial terraces is commonly overlooked as an autocyclic mechanism for formation of parasequences. If the rate of sea-level rise and sediment supply is constant, architecture of terraced incised-valley fills will likely show backstepping parasequences. The control that variable antecedent topography has on architecture of incised-valley fills is examined in the Trinity incised valley, Texas. The Trinity valley is characterized by a series of downward-stepping terraces, and the Galveston Estuary formed above this irregular antecedent topography. Flooding surfaces, recognized in core by a decrease in sedimentation rates and a change from delta-plain to central-basin facies, formed at similar to -14 m, 8,200 cal. yr BP and similar to -10 m, 7,700 cal. yr BP, matching depths of the relatively flat fluvial terraces. Flooding surfaces formed rapidly and represent entire reorganization of the estuarine complex. Across the -10 m flooding surface, the river mouth and bay-head delta shifted landward at a rate of similar to 6.5 km per century and the associated barrier shoreline was stranded on the inner continental shelf, forming Heald Bank. Flooding surfaces formed as the rate of sea-level rise was decreasing, and are not associated with a decrease in sediment delivery to the estuary. As sea level inundates relatively flat fluvial terraces, rates of transgression rapidly increase, resulting in a sudden increase in accommodation space and an associated landward shift in coastal facies. Backstepping parasequences are inherent to the architecture of terraced incised-valley fills.