Entrainment of planktonic foraminifera: effect of bulk density

Depositional hydrodynamics have been studied using settling rate distributions of Norwegian deep sea sediments (between Jan Mayen Island and the Vøring Plateau), together with Shields’ critical shear stress velocities. Planktonic foraminifera are the dominant sand sized component of these sediments. The bulk density of the foraminifera was calculated from their settling velocity, sieve size and shape. Density decreases from 2·39 g cm^?3 at 0·05 mm diameter to 1·37 g cm^?3 at 0·35 mm diameter. These density and size data were used to construct a threshold sediment movement curve. From the similarity in their Shield's critical shear-stress velocities and the observed correlation of foraminifera size with decreasing percentage of fine fraction, it is concluded that the two components, the sand size foraminifera and the quartz and carbonate silt, are transport-equivalent.     

Sample site variation in settling velocity distribution subpopulations using curve dissection analysis

ABSTRACT It is generally believed that grain-size distributions can be broken down into subpopulations which may be characteristic of a specific mode of transport, some source signature, or the nature of sediment packing in the depositional process. This paper evaluates the variation at a sample site of subpopulation parameters of settling velocity distributions derived using a non-linear least squares algorithm for curve dissection. Results incorporate artificial samples constructed using spherical glass beads in the 125-840 μm range and natural samples collected as close as possible from a single sedimentation unit in marine, fluvial and aeolian environments. If subpopulation distributions from the same sample site are compared then 90% of artificial bead samples and 65% of natural sands have cumulative curves diverging from each other by less than 20%. Similarity in means and standard deviations of subpopulations collected at the same site was not easily obtained. However, if it is important to be able to identify a specific process or source signature correctly, then 86% of all subpopulations from the same natural sample site grouped together. If subpopulations of grain-size distributions are to be used for process identification, it is advisable to analyse more than one sample from a site.     

Threshold of motion and settling velocities of mollusc shell debris: Influence of faunal composition

Bioclastic particles derived from mollusc shell debris can represent a significant fraction of sandy to gravelly sediments in temperate and cool‐water regions with high carbonate productivity. Their reworking and subsequent transport and deposition by waves and currents is highly dependent on the shape and density of the particles. In this study, the hydrodynamic behaviour of shell debris produced by eight mollusc species is investigated for several grain sizes in terms of settling velocity (measurements in a settling tube) and threshold of motion under unidirectional current (flume experiments using an acoustic profiler). Consistent interspecific differences in settling velocity and critical bed shear stress are found, related to differences in shell density, shell structure imaged by scanning electron microscopy and grain shape. Drag coefficients are proposed for each mollusc species, based on an interpolation of settling velocity data. Depending on the shell species, the critical bed shear stress values obtained for bioclastic particles fall within or slightly below empirical envelopes established for siliciclastic particles, despite very low settling velocity values. The results suggest that settling velocity, often used to describe the entrainment of sediment particles through the equivalent diameter, is not a suitable parameter to predict the initiation of motion of shell debris. The influence of the flat shape of bioclastic particles on the initiation of motion under oscillatory flows and during bedload and saltation transport is yet to be elucidated.     

Sediment trend models fail to reproduce small-scale sediment transport patterns on an intertidal beach

A rigorous test is presented of the application of sediment trend models to an intertidal beach environment characterized by bar morphology. Sediment samples were collected during low tide from a regular grid and their sediment fall velocity distributions, obtained using a settling tube, were analysed using moment analysis. The net sediment transport direction determined from beach surveys, hydrodynamic measurements, wave ripple observations and sediment transport modelling was compared with predictions by sediment trend models based on the spatial distribution of sediment parameters. It was found that the sediment transport pathways and patterns of sedimentation predicted using sediment trend models were at odds with field observations, and varied significantly depending on whether surface or sub‐surface sediment samples were used. The sediment trend models are thought to fail because, in energetic and morphologically variable beach environments, spatial patterns in sediment characteristics are mainly attributed to the presence of different hydrodynamic regions and associated morphology, rather than sediment pathways. The use of sediment trend models cannot replace the collection of morphological, hydrodynamic and sediment transport data in the field to define relationships between flows, forms and sedimentation patterns on a dynamic intertidal beach.     

Effects of concentration-dependent settling velocity on non-equilibrium transport of suspended sediment

In this study, non-equilibrium transport of suspended sediment from one equilibrium state to another is investigated. Based on a convective-diffusion equation, a numerical model for flow with suspended sediment is developed by considering the effect of concentration-dependent settling velocity. The numerical model is validated by comparing analytical solutions and experimental results. The concentration profiles, mean concentrations and distance necessary to reach a new equilibrium state are examined by comparing them with the results of constant settling velocity. For a high concentration flow, the results indicate that evident differences between the above three indicators can be determined with and without concentration-dependent settling velocity. Additionally, the effects of concentration-dependent settling velocity are sensitive to the sediment mobility parameter (or Rouse number), although they are nearly independent of the diffusion Reynolds number.     

Hydraulic control of grain-size distributions in a macrotidal estuary

The Avon River estuary of Nova Scotia was studied with the intention of analysing the relations between grain-size distributions and hydraulics. The Avon is macrotidal; tidal ranges up to 15·6 m generate tidal currents up to 1·7 m s^?1. Maximum current speed increases from the mouth (seaward end) to the head (shoreward end) of the estuary. Mean grain size decreases from the estuary mouth to the head. Thus, there is an inverse relationship between mean grain size and current speed. Consequently, textural parameters do not directly reflect hydraulic conditions. Graphical dissection of cumulative frequency curves into their component grain populations reveals a large coarse population at the estuary mouth that is absent at the head. There are several relationships between hydraulics and cumulative curves. Shields’ criterion predicts that all sediment in the system can be transported so that the large coarse population at the estuary mouth is not a lag. Local maximum shear velocity nearly equals the settling velocity of the grain size at the boundary of the coarse (C) and intermediate (A) grain populations. This has been previously interpreted to signifiy a transition from traction to intermittent suspension transport, and implies that the C population is a function of traction and that the A population is related to intermittent suspension (Middleton, 1976). Each grain population is transported at a different rate; suspended grains travel almost an order of magnitude faster than grains moved by traction according to Einstein's transport formula. Sediment transport paths in the estuary were determined from bedform migration directions and the computed net sediment transport per tidal cycle using Engelund and Hansen's formula. The areal distribution of the transport paths, combined with the differential transport rates of each grain population, produces hydraulic sorting. Hydraulic sorting causes coarse sediment to be excluded from the estuary head and creates the inverse relationship between current speed and mean grain size.     

Asynchronous alkenone and foraminifera records from the Benguela Upwelling System

Radiocarbon stratigraphy is an essential tool for high resolution paleoceanographic studies. Age models based on radiocarbon ages of foraminifera are commonly applied to a wide range of geochemical studies, including the investigation of temporal leads and lags. The critical assumption is that temporal coupling between foraminifera and other sediment constituents, including specific molecular organic compounds (biomarkers) of marine phytoplankton, e.g. alkenones, is maintained in the sediments.To test this critical assumption in the Benguela upwelling area, we have determined radiocarbon ages of total C₃₇-C₃₉ alkenones in 20 samples from two gravity cores and three multicorer cores. The cores were retrieved from the continental shelf and slope off Namibia, and samples were taken from Holocene, deglacial and Last Glacial Maximum core sections. The alkenone radiocarbon ages were compared to those of planktic foraminifera, total organic carbon, fatty acids and fine grained carbonates from the same samples. Interestingly, the ages of alkenones were 1000 to 4500 yr older than those of foraminifera in all samples.Such age differences may be the result of different processes: Bioturbation associated with grain size effects, lateral advection of (recycled) material and redeposition of sediment on upper continental slopes due to currents or tidal movement are examples for such processes.Based on the results of this study, the age offsets between foraminifera and alkenones in sediments from the upper continental slope off Namibia most probably do not result from particle-selective bioturbation processes. Resuspension of organic particles in response to tidal movement of bottom waters with velocities up to 25 cm/s recorded near the core sites is the more likely explanation.Our results imply that age control established using radiocarbon measurements of foraminifera may be inadequate for the interpretation of alkenone-based proxy data. Observed temporal leads and lags between foraminifera based data and data derived from alkenone measurements may therefore be secondary signals, i.e. the result of processes associated with particle settling and biological activity.     

阳离子浓度对泥沙沉速影响实验研究

应用了静态沉降实验方法中的移液管法,初步研究了水中常见阳离子对河流中细颗粒泥沙沉速的影响,这些阳离子包括Na+、Ca2+、Mg2+和Al3+等。实验结果表明,阳离子浓度对泥沙沉速的影响可以分为两个阶段:①随着阳离子浓度的增加泥沙沉速也增大;②当离子浓度大于某值时,离子浓度对泥沙沉速的影响不大。在同样离子浓度条件下,离子价态高者影响较大。同时分析了长江和黄河干流中下游河段的水化学特性;分析结果表明,在一般的河水水质的情况下,有必要考虑水中阳离子(主要是Ca2+、Mg2+)对细颗粒泥沙沉速的影响。     

Estimating the settling velocity of bioclastic sediment using common grain‐size analysis techniques

Most techniques for estimating settling velocities of natural particles have been developed for siliciclastic sediments. Therefore, to understand how these techniques apply to bioclastic environments, measured settling velocities of bioclastic sedimentary deposits sampled from a nearshore fringing reef in Western Australia were compared with settling velocities calculated using results from several common grain‐size analysis techniques (sieve, laser diffraction and image analysis) and established models. The effects of sediment density and shape were also examined using a range of density values and three different models of settling velocity. Sediment density was found to have a significant effect on calculated settling velocity, causing a range in normalized root‐mean‐square error of up to 28%, depending upon settling velocity model and grain‐size method. Accounting for particle shape reduced errors in predicted settling velocity by 3% to 6% and removed any velocity‐dependent bias, which is particularly important for the fastest settling fractions. When shape was accounted for and measured density was used, normalized root‐mean‐square errors were 4%, 10% and 18% for laser diffraction, sieve and image analysis, respectively. The results of this study show that established models of settling velocity that account for particle shape can be used to estimate settling velocity of irregularly shaped, sand‐sized bioclastic sediments from sieve, laser diffraction, or image analysis‐derived measures of grain size with a limited amount of error. Collectively, these findings will allow for grain‐size data measured with different methods to be accurately converted to settling velocity for comparison. This will facilitate greater understanding of the hydraulic properties of bioclastic sediment which can help to increase our general knowledge of sediment dynamics in these environments.     

On the frequency distribution of turbidite thickness

The frequency distribution of turbidite thickness records information on flow hydrodynamics, initial sediment volumes and source migration and is an important component of petroleum reservoir models. However, the nature of this thickness distribution is currently uncertain, with log‐normal or negative‐exponential frequency distributions and power‐law cumulative frequency distributions having been proposed by different authors. A detailed analysis of the Miocene Marnoso Arenacea Formation of the Italian Apennines shows that turbidite bed thickness and sand‐interval thickness within each bed have a frequency distribution comprising the sum of a series of log‐normal frequency distributions. These strata were deposited predominantly in a basin‐plain setting, and bed amalgamation is relatively rare. Beds or sand intervals truncated by erosion were excluded from this analysis. Each log‐normal frequency distribution characterizes bed or sand‐interval thickness for a given basal grain‐size or basal Bouma division. Measurements from the Silurian Aberystwyth Grits in Wales, the Cretaceous Great Valley Sequence in California and the Permian Karoo Basin in South Africa show that this conclusion holds for sequences of disparate age and variable location. The median thickness of these log‐normal distributions is positively correlated with basal grain‐size. The power‐law exponent relating the basal grain‐size and median thickness is different for turbidites with a basal A or B division and those with only C, D and E divisions. These two types of turbidite have been termed ‘thin bedded’ and ‘thick bedded’ by previous workers. A change in the power‐law exponent is proposed to be related to: (i) a transition from viscous to inertial settling of sediment grains; and (ii) hindered settling at high sediment concentrations. The bimodal thickness distribution of ‘thin‐bedded’ and ‘thick‐bedded’ turbidites noted by previous workers is explained as the result of a change in the power‐law exponent. This analysis supports the view that A and B divisions were deposited from high‐concentration flow components and that distinct grain‐size modes undergo different depositional processes. Summation of log‐normal frequency distributions for thin‐ and thick‐bedded turbidites produces a cumulative frequency distribution of thickness with a segmented power‐law trend. Thus, the occurrence of both log‐normal and segmented power‐law frequency distributions can be explained in a holistic fashion. Power‐law frequency distributions of turbidite thickness have previously been linked to power‐law distributions of earthquake magnitude or volumes of submarine slope failure. The log‐normal distribution for a given grain‐size class observed in this study suggests an alternative view, that turbidite thickness is determined by the multiplicative addition of several randomly distributed parameters, in addition to the settling velocity of the grain‐sizes present.     

Carbonate sediment transport pathways based on foraminifera: case study from Frank Sound, Grand Cayman, British West Indies

Foraminifera can be used to determine the source(s) of carbonate sediment and the directions of sediment transport in shallow, coastal lagoons such as Frank Sound on the south-central coast of Grand Cayman. These determinations, based on the distribution of foraminiferal assemblages and ‘tracer species’ (numerically abundant species that live in known physiographic units and/or ecological conditions), show that the lagoonal sediments are a mixture of grains that originated in the lagoon and forereef. The variable proportions of these foraminifera throughout the lagoon reflects the dynamic processes that control lagoonal sedimentation. Amphistegina gibbosa, Discorbis rosea, and Asterigerina carinata lived in the forereef environment. The fact that these ‘tracer species’ are found throughout Frank Sound and in the beach sands, shows that they were transported across the reef crest and the lagoon. Abrasion-resistant Archaias angulatus, a‘tracer species’ indicative of a lagoonal setting, forms up to 50% of foraminiferal assemblages found in the lagoonal sediments. Preferential winnowing of small tests from these populations indicates sorting under high energy conditions. The vertical distribution of the forereef and lagoonal foraminifera in the sediment blanket that covers the floor of Frank Sound indicates that these processes are temporally persistent. Transportation of forereef foraminifera into and around the lagoon and sorting of the lagoonal foraminifera cannot take place under ‘normal’ conditions when the tranquil lagoon is characterized by weak currents. Storms and/or hurricanes, however, generate short-lived high-energy events that can move and sort the sediment and foraminifera. At the height of a storm, water and sediment are moved over the reef and then piled and held onshore by the onshore winds and the constant flow of water over the reef and across the lagoon. These currents can mix some of the lagoonal and forereef sediments. As a storm wanes, however, the ‘piled water’ flows offshore via strong rip currents that pass into the ocean through the channels which transect the reef. These currents winnow and/or strip sediment from the lagoon and may transport lagoonal sediments into the forereef area. As a result, residual lagoonal sediment is commonly characterized by larger and abrasion-resistant foraminifera.     

Laser vs. settling velocity differences in silt grainsize measurements: estimation of palaeocurrent vigour

The use of grain‐size distribution of muds for the reconstruction of past deep ocean currents is becoming established and applied in the palaeoceanographic community. The methods are also applicable to shallow marine and tidal flat muds with similar inferences concerning the energy of wave and current sorting being drawn. Fine sediment grain‐size distributions can be obtained using a variety of instruments based on fundamentally different theoretical principles. These machines may give varying, sometimes misleading, results giving divergent interpretations of flow speed history. The new evidence presented here, combined with earlier work, suggests that of the three most commonly used analytical methods for fine silts with clays, settling velocity (Sedigraph) should be the method and instrument of choice, with electrical resistance pulse counters (e.g. Coulter Counter) as a suitable alternative. The data also show that laser particle sizers should be avoided for palaeocurrent reconstructions because the measured size of platey minerals can be dominated by their large projected area. This causes them to be recorded as the same size as larger equant grains although they have much smaller settling velocity and were deposited in aggregates. This produces results with a weaker relationship to the dynamics of deposition. The central problem is thus that some coarse clay/fine silt is recorded as medium to coarse silt, the key size in the ‘sortable silt’ mean size method of inferring changes in flow speed. For coarse silts (e.g. loess) the laser gives more satisfactory results.     

含离子浓度参数的粘性泥沙沉速公式研究

以长江为例分析了河流中的水化学特性,得出河流中影响粘性泥沙沉速的主要是Ca2+。阳离子影响泥沙沉速的主要原因是粘性沙的絮凝。对泥沙絮凝沉降过程进行理论分析,推导出絮凝沉速与离子浓度之间的关系式。并且根据试验结果确定以Ca2+浓度为参数时经验关系式中的系数值。用实测的沉速对絮凝沉速公式进行了初步的验证。验证结果表明,用张瑞瑾沉速公式计算结果与实测结果相差很大,而絮凝沉速公式计算结果与实测结果相符合。     

Constraining sediment provenance for tsunami deposits using distributions of grain size and foraminifera from the Kujukuri coastline and shelf,Japan

Tsunami deposits preserved in the geological record provide a more comprehensive understanding of their patterns of frequency and intensity over longer timescales; but recognizing tsunami deposits can prove challenging due to post-depositional changes, lack of contrast between the deposits and surrounding sedimentary layers, and differentiating between tsunami and storm deposition. Modern baseline studies address these challenges by providing insight into modern spatial distributions that can be compared with palaeotsunami deposits. This study documents the spatial fingerprint of grain size and foraminifera from Hasunuma Beach and the Kujukuri shelf to provide a basis from which tsunami deposits can be interpreted. At Hasunuma Beach, approximately 50 km east of Tokyo, the spatial distribution of three common proxies (foraminiferal taxonomy, foraminiferal taphonomy and sediment grain size) for tsunami identification were mapped and clustered using Partitioning Around Medoids cluster analysis. Partitioning Around Medoids cluster analysis objectively discriminated two coastal zones corresponding to onshore and offshore sample locations. Results show that onshore samples are characterized by coarser grain sizes (medium to coarse sand) and higher abundances of Pararotalia nipponica (27 to 63%) than offshore samples, which are characterized by finer grain sizes (fine to medium sand), lower abundances of Pararotalia nipponica (2 to 19%) and Ammonia parkinsoniana (0 to 10%), higher abundances of planktonics (15 to 58%) and species with fragile tests including Uvigerinella glabra. When compared to grain-size and foraminiferal taxonomy, foraminiferal taphonomy; i.e. surface condition of foraminifera, a proxy not commonly used to identify tsunami deposits, was most effective in discriminating modern coastal zones (identified supratidal, intertidal and offshore environments) and determining sediment provenance for tsunami deposits at Kujukuri. This modern baseline study assists the interpretation of tsunami deposits in the geological record because it provides a basis for sediment provenance to be determined.     

南黄海辐射沙脊群表层沉积物中底栖有孔虫埋葬群分布特征及其环境意义

对南黄海辐射沙脊群海域123个表层沉积物样品中的有孔虫埋葬群进行了分析,发现其中浮游有孔虫含量低,平均不到7%,其分布与外海潮流有关,底栖有孔虫以浅水广盐性属种为主。通过对研究区至少在3个样品中含量大于2%的59个底栖有孔虫属种的Q型因子分析,提取了3个底栖有孔虫组合,结合沉积物粒度特征、现代海洋环境要素,将研究区划分成3个环境分区:(1)辐射沙脊群主干沙脊及大型潮流通道区,对应Ammonia beccarii vars.-Nonion akitaense-Cribrononion frigidum组合。该区可再分为两个亚区:辐射沙脊群主干沙脊及大型潮流通道北部亚区,代表受低温沿岸流和潮流影响的强水动力近岸砂质沉积环境;辐射沙脊群南部长江口偏北部亚区,反映强潮流的河口、低盐缺氧环境,兼受外海悬浮泥沙的影响。(2)海州湾及废黄河口区,对应Ammonia compressiuscula-Spiroloculina laevigata-Elphidium advenum组合,代表粉砂、黏土质底质,和水深50 m以浅的浅海环境。(3)辐射沙脊南部近岸浅水区,对应Nonion anomalinoidea-Ammonia maruhasii-Ammonia pauciloculata组合,反映了粉砂及砂质底质的近岸浅水、低盐潮间带和潮下带环境。总之,辐射沙脊群海域底栖有孔虫种群的分布,不仅受海水温盐、水深影响显著,还与此区独特的水动力条件,即外海潮波与内陆河流的共同作用有关。     

Secondary Calcification of Planktic Foraminifera from the Indian Sector of Southern Ocean

This study focused on planktic foraminifera in plankton tows and surface sediments from the western Indian sector of Southern Ocean in order to evaluate the potential foraminiferal secondary calcification and/or dissolution in the sediment. It is found that the symbiotic foraminiferal species are abundant in the subtropical region, whereas non-symbiotic species dominate in the sub-Antarctic and polar frontal regions. The distribution of the symbiotic and non-symbiotic foraminiferal species is controlled by temperature, salinity, light, nutrients and phytoplankton biomass. There is also a lateral southern extent in abundance of planktic foraminifera from surface sediments to plankton tows. The shell weights of the planktic foraminifera N. pachyderma, G. bulloides and G. ruber within the surface sediments are on an average heavier by 27%, 34% and 40% respectively than shells of the same size within the plankton tows, indicative of secondary calcification. The planktic foraminiferal isotopes show the presence of heavier isotopes in the surface sediment foraminifera as compared to plankton tows, thus confirming secondary calcification. Secondary calcification in G. ruber occurs in the euphotic zone, whereas in case of N. pachyderma and G. bulloides it is at deeper depths. We also observed a decrease in the shell spines in surface sediment foraminifera as compared to plankton tows, indicative of the morphological changes that foraminifera underwent during gametogenesis.     

Grain-size characteristics of fine-grained unflocculated sediments I:'one-round' distributions

A simple physical model of gravitational settling from an unsorted, unflocculated source suspension is presented and an equation derived to describe the grain-size spectra of the resulting bottom sediment. Results of grain-size analyses of sediments from a variety of environments and geographical locations are shown to conform with the postulated model. The characteristic size spectrum, termed ‘one-round’ sediment, identifies a deposit which has settled from suspension with no subsequent reworking resulting in modification of the grain-size distribution. The distribution of settling rates of grains in the suspension may be inferred from an analytical form fit to the bottom sediment grain-size spectrum, along with knowledge of certain physical characteristics of the fluid (e.g. mean velocity profile).     

Grain size distribution expressed as tanh-functions

The grain size distribution within a unimodal sediment can be described as a lognormal distribution when the distribution is formed by only one process. However, most sediments are formed by more than one process giving polymodal sediments. Polymodal sediments have to be described as the sum of several normal distributions, one for each process involved within the formation. Grain size distributions are usually interpreted with the help of graphical methods. Interpretations of polymodal sediments require mathematical methods. In mathematical terms a unimodal sediment can be described as a tangential hyperbolic function (tanh) and a polymodal sediment can generally be described by the sum of two or three tanh-functions. The tanh-method is a tool for identifying and estimating the number of modes within a grain size distribution and helps interpret the processes involved within the formation of a deposit. The mathematical method can also be used to computerize sediment data, allowing storage with just a few numbers. Different samples can easily be compared and classified. Also, this method could be a valuable tool for calculations of various sediment parameters both in geotechnology and hydrogeology.     

琼东南盆地晚第三纪浮游有孔虫深度分层意义

依据Ｋｅｌｌｅ１９８５年、Ｇａｓｐｅｒｉ等１９９３年有关中新世印度洋和太平洋浅层水、中层水和深层水浮游有孔虫深度分层组合的划分模式，对南海琼东南盆地崖１３－１－４井晚第三纪浮游有孔虫作了定量研究，并分析了陆架海区浮游有孔虫不同深度分层组合含量的变化与古地理环境变迁的关系。崖１３－１－４并以浅层水、中层水组合为主，深层水组合不发育，反映该区温跃层不发育，不利于深层水浮游有孔虫的生存。滨海区，浮游有孔     

崖19-1-1井晚第三纪浮游有孔虫深度分层及其古海洋学意义

依据ＧｅｒｔａＫｅｌｅｒ和Ｇａｓｐｅｒｉ，Ｋｅｎｎｅｔｔ有关中新世印度洋和太平洋浅层水、中层水和深层水浮游有孔虫深度分层组合的划分模式，对南海琼东南盆地崖１９－１－１井晚第三纪浮游有孔虫作了定量研究，并分析了陆架海区浮游有孔虫不同深度分层组合含量的变化与古地理环境变迁的关系。崖１９－１－１井以浅层水、中层水组合为主，深层水组合不发育，反映本区温跃层不发育，不利深层水浮游有孔虫的生存。滨海区，浮游有孔虫仅为少数几个浅层水的优势种，中层水浮游有孔虫不发育；内浅海区，浅层水浮游有孔虫占绝对优势，中层水浮游有孔虫处于次要地位，所含比例相对较小；外浅海区及陆坡半深海区，浅层水和中层水浮游有孔虫均较发育，中层水浮游有孔虫百分含量相对较高。崖１９－１－１井在上新世早中期曾出现外浅海至陆坡半深海区，为古水深最大时期