In the study of sedimentary basin evolution, consolidation of marine sediments has historically been characterized by applying variations on poroplastic theory. However, recent field evidence and models of deformation by pressure solution suggest that both poroplastic and viscous modes of compaction should be investigated when evaluating basin development. To study the influence of poroplastic and viscous deformation on marine sediments, we constructed a generic framework that incorporates the two modes of compaction into a numerical scheme. Analytical solutions for pressure development and porosity change based on both poroplastic and viscous theory were incorporated into this scheme, and a characteristic height was determined to indicate the depth at which viscous deformation is initiated. Application of our framework to a site in Woodlark Basin, Papua New Guinea, and comparison of the simulated results to measured porosity data suggest that poroplastic deformation is the dominant mode of consolidation at the site and that lithologic strength is controlling the observed porosity profile. Two simulated scenarios, based on different characteristic heights, showed that while a full poroplastic model may be most appropriate to characterize compaction at the site, viscous deformation may be a factor in developing the low porosities (26 to 40%) observed below 590 m below seafloor. As such, although poroplastic deformation may be predominant in basins less than 1 km deep, a combined poroplastic/viscous model may be useful to address sediments which exhibit markedly low porosity at shallow depths.