It is the objective of this volume to bring to the fore a category of deltas with which many sedimentologists and stratigraphers are, at best, vaguely familiar. It is expected that this volume also will stimulate new research on tropical deltas by highlighting how their facies and stratigraphic architectures differ from mid- and high-latitude ones, by emphasizing their significance to the global sediment budget, and by stressing their uniqueness within a petroleum systems framework. This special publication emphasizes the need for models intrinsic to tropical deltas of Southeast Asia to supplement the more conventional general models currently in vogue, based on past studies of large and small mid-latitude deltas. The papers in this book explore how the combination of these complex factors has shaped deltas in this region. Sedimentological surprises such as distributary channels floored by thick accumulations of fluid mud lend a bit of “mystery” to tropical deltas. We hope that, rather than being merely a summary of tropical deltas, this book may open the door to a new and active phase of sedimentological and stratigraphic research in tropical environments across the globe.
