Deltaic sedimentation in a lacustrine environment Lake Malawi, Africa

Abstract

Geophysical and sedimentological studies on two lake deltas in Northern Lake Malawi have been carried out. The architecture of subaqueous fan deltas and associated channel-levee complexes indicates that the deltas are fluvially dominated, presumably due to a high influx of detritus relative to the levels of basinal energy. Fan size, thickness and gradients appear to be directly proportional to the amount of sediment funneled to the fan. The data show a consistent pattern of sediment facies extending from the lake shores to the deep basins. This pattern is the gradation of nearshore sands into regions of widespread slumping, then into regions covered with sediment waves, which merge with hemipelagic sediments in open lake environments.