N.Panin et al. – The Danube Delta-Chronology of Lobes and Rates of Sediment Deposition GEO-ECO-MARINA 9-10/2003-2004 Proceedings of Euro-EcoGeoCentre-Romania THE DANUBE DELTA – CHRONOLOGY OF LOBES AND RATES OF SEDIMENT DEPOSITION Nicolae PANIN, Gabriel ION, Elena ION National Institute of Marine Geology and Geo-ecology (GEOECOMAR) Abstract. An attempt of evaluation of the Danube River paleo sediment discharge and of the littoral drift fluxes along the delta front is presented. The computations suggest that during the last 12 k yr. the total amount of sediments forming the main lobes of the Danube Delta (the coastal sandy progradational sheet) is of approximately 23 billion m 3 of which about 95 billion m 3 are of Danubian origin with an average annual sediment discharge of ca. 80 million m 3 . These figures are of the same order of values as the Danube sediment discharge in the period before damming in 1970 and 1983. The figures obtained for the paleo littoral drift fluxes are also consistent with the present-day ones. Key words: chronology, sediment discharge, drift fluxes, Danube Delta The Danube Delta edifice comprises a sequence of detritic deposits of tens to 300-400 m thickness formed mainly during the upper Pleistocene (Karangatian, Surozhian, Neoeuxinian) and Holocene. The deltaic conditions occurred here, probably during the Quaternary, when the Danube started flowing into the Black Sea basin. The Holocene evolution of the Delta includes the following main phases (N. Panin et al., 1983; N. Panin, 1989, 1997) (Fig.1, Table 1): (1) the formation of the Letea-Caraorman initial spit and of the “Danube Blocked Delta”, 11,700-7500 yr. BP; (2) the St. George I Delta, 9000-7200 years BP; (3) the Sulina Delta, 7200-2000 years BP; (4) the St. George II and Kilia Deltas, 2800 years BP to present and (5) the Cosna-Sinoie Delta, 3500-1500 years BP. Fig. 1 The Danube Delta Evolution during the Holocene and Correspondent Coastline Position Changes (after Panin, 1997) 1: Initial Spit 11.7-7.5 K yr.BP; 2: St. George I Delta 9.0-7.2 Kyr.BP; 3: Sulina Delta 7.2-2.0 K yr.BP; 4: Coastline position at ~ 100 yr AD; 5: St.George II Delta and Kilia Delta 2.8 K yr.BP-Present; 6: Cosna-Sinoie Delta 3.5-1.5 K yr.BP