An example of river course changes on a delta plain: Seyhan Delta (Çukurova plain, southern Turkey)

The three‐dimensional sedimentary architecture of wind‐ and wave‐dominated deltas fed by more than one major river system is poorly documented in the scientific literature. The Seyhan–Ceyhan–Tarsus delta in southern Turkey, described in this paper, presents a detailed layer‐cake model for such a system. It further documents the planform evolution of the system over the past 4000 years using aerial photography and field mapping together with a series of transects of commercial sedimentary cores with a maximum vertical penetration of 300 m. This latter high‐density dataset is unique and affords the opportunity (i) to examine the evolution of this clastic system; (ii) to demonstrate how large‐scale erosional truncations in wind‐ and wave‐dominated deltas may be incorrectly interpreted as transgressive surfaces in analogue ancient systems; (iii) to show how major changes in drainage pattern can occur in this environment; and (iv) to sound a note of caution for the interference of man in an area particularly prone to erosion, in this case by the erection of major dams. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.