# Progradation

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Growth of a river delta into the sea over time

In [sedimentary geology](/source/Sedimentary_geology) and [geomorphology](/source/Geomorphology), **progradation** is the growth of a [river delta](/source/River_delta) further out into the sea over time. This occurs when the [volume](/source/Volume) of incoming [sediment](/source/Sediment) is greater than the volume of the delta that is lost through [subsidence](/source/Subsidence), [sea-level rise](/source/Sea-level_rise), or [erosion](/source/Erosion).[1]

Progradation can be caused by:

- Periods of [sea-level](/source/Sea_level) fall which result in [marine regression](/source/Marine_regression). This can occur during major [continental glaciations](/source/Glaciation) within [ice ages](/source/Ice_age),[2] be caused by changes in the rates of [seafloor spreading](/source/Seafloor_spreading) that affects the volume of the ocean basins,[3] or tectonic effects on the regional mantle density structure which can change the [geoid](/source/Geoid) elevation.[4]

- Extremely high sediment input, such as by the Huang He ([Yellow River](/source/Yellow_River)) in [China](/source/China), which drains the [Loess plateau](/source/Loess_plateau),[5] or from high sediment loads in [proglacial rivers](/source/Proglacial_river).[6]

## See also

- [Retrogradation](/source/Retrogradation) – Movement of the front of a river delta inland over time

- [Aggradation](/source/Aggradation) – Increase in land elevation due to the deposition of sediment

- [Marine transgression](/source/Marine_transgression) – Geologic event in which sea level rises relative to the land

- [Sedimentology](/source/Sedimentology) – Study of natural sediments and their formation processes

- [Stratigraphy](/source/Stratigraphy) – Study of rock layers and their formation

- [Sequence stratigraphy](/source/Sequence_stratigraphy) – Study and analysis of groups of sedimentary deposits

- [Sediment transport](/source/Sediment_transport) – Movement of solid particles, typically by gravity and fluid entrainment

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Jackson, Julia A., ed. (1997). "progradation". *Glossary of geology* (Fourth ed.). Alexandria, Virginia: American Geological Institute. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0922152349](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0922152349).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Schofield, J. C. (March 1975). "Sea-level fluctuations cause periodic, post-glacial progradation, South Kaipara Barrier, North Island, New Zealand". *New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics*. **18** (2): 295–316. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[1975NZJGG..18..295S](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1975NZJGG..18..295S). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1080/00288306.1975.10418201](https://doi.org/10.1080%2F00288306.1975.10418201).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Embry, Ashton F. (1988). "Triassic sea-level changes: Evidence from the Canadian Arctic Archipelago". [*Sea-level changes : an integrated approach*](https://archives.datapages.com/data/sepm_sp/SP42/Triassic_Sea-Level_Changes.htm). Tulsa, Okla.: Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0918985749](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0918985749). Retrieved 23 May 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Stoker, Martyn S.; Holford, Simon P.; Hillis, Richard R.; Green, Paul F.; Duddy, Ian R. (July 2010). ["Cenozoic post-rift sedimentation off northwest Britain: Recording the detritus of episodic uplift on a passive continental margin"](http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/9879/1/Stoker_et_al_2010_Geology.pdf) (PDF). *Geology*. **38** (7): 595–598. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2010Geo....38..595S](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2010Geo....38..595S). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1130/G30881.1](https://doi.org/10.1130%2FG30881.1).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Saito, Yoshiki; Wei, Helong; Zhou, Yongqing; Nishimura, Akira; Sato, Yoshio; Yokota, Setsuya (August 2000). "Delta progradation and chenier formation in the Huanghe (Yellow River) delta, China". *Journal of Asian Earth Sciences*. **18** (4): 489–497. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2000JAESc..18..489S](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2000JAESc..18..489S). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1016/S1367-9120(99)00080-2](https://doi.org/10.1016%2FS1367-9120%2899%2900080-2).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Nemec, W.; LφNNE, Ida; Blikra, Lars H. (16 January 2008). "The Kregnes moraine in Gauldalen, west-central Norway: anatomy of a Younger Dryas proglacial delta in a palaeofjord basin*". *Boreas*. **28** (4): 454–476. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1111/j.1502-3885.1999.tb00234.x](https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fj.1502-3885.1999.tb00234.x). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [128823562](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:128823562).

v t e Rivers, streams and springs Rivers (lists) Alluvial river Braided river Blackwater river Channel Channel pattern Channel types Confluence Distributary Drainage basin Mountain river Subterranean river River bifurcation River ecosystem River source Tributary Streams Arroyo Beck Bourne Burn Chalk stream Coulee Current Stream bed Stream channel Streamflow Stream gradient Stream pool Perennial stream Winterbourne Springs (list) Estavelle/Inversac Geyser Holy well Hot spring list list in the US Karst spring list Mineral spring Ponor Rhythmic spring Spring horizon Sedimentary processes and erosion Abrasion Anabranch Aggradation Armor Bed load Bed material load Granular flow Debris flow Deposition Dissolved load Downcutting Erosion Headward erosion Knickpoint Palaeochannel Progradation Retrogradation Saltation Secondary flow Sediment transport Suspended load Wash load Water gap Fluvial landforms Ait Alluvial fan Antecedent drainage stream Avulsion Bank Bar Bayou Billabong Canyon Chine Cut bank Estuary Floating island Fluvial terrace Gill Gulch Gully Glen Meander scar Mouth bar Oxbow lake Riffle-pool sequence Point bar Ravine Rill River island Rock-cut basin Sedimentary basin Sedimentary structures Strath Thalweg River valley Wadi Fluvial flow Helicoidal flow International scale of river difficulty Log jam Meander Plunge pool Rapids Riffle Shoal Stream capture Waterfall list of waterfalls Whitewater Surface runoff Agricultural wastewater First flush Urban runoff Floods and stormwater 100-year flood Crevasse splay Flash flood Flood Urban flooding Non-water flood Flood barrier Flood control Flood forecasting Flood-meadow Floodplain Flood pulse concept Flooded grasslands and savannas Inundation Storm Water Management Model Return period Point source pollution Effluent Industrial wastewater Sewage River measurement and modelling Baer's law Baseflow Bradshaw model Discharge (hydrology) Drainage density Exner equation Groundwater model Hack's law Hjulström curve Hydrograph Hydrological model Hydrological transport model Infiltration (hydrology) Main stem Playfair's law Relief ratio River Continuum Concept Rouse number Runoff curve number Runoff model (reservoir) Stream gauge WAFLEX Wetted perimeter Volumetric flow rate River engineering Aqueduct Balancing lake Canal Check dam Dam Drop structure Daylighting Detention basin Erosion control Fish ladder Floodplain restoration Flume Infiltration basin Leat Levee River morphology Retention basin Revetment Riparian-zone restoration Stream restoration Weir River sports Canyoning Fly fishing Rafting River surfing Riverboarding Stone skipping Triathlon Whitewater canoeing Whitewater kayaking Whitewater slalom Related Aquifer Aquatic toxicology Body of water Hydraulic civilization Limnology Riparian zone River valley civilization River cruise Sacred waters Surface water Wild river Rivers by length Rivers by discharge rate Drainage basins Whitewater rivers Flash floods River name etymologies Countries without rivers

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Progradation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progradation) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progradation?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.