HOLOCENE SEA LEVEL CHANGES AND CRUSTAL MOVEMENTS ALONG THE NORTHERN COASTS OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA

This paper discusses level changes of the sea in the last 6000 years and the recent crustal movements of the coasts of the South China Sea. There was one transgression in the middle Holocene (about 6000-3000 years ago); the sea level might not be higher than the actual one. Many terraces and coral reef platforms above the sea level can be explained by recent crustal movements.As far as the intensity of the crustal movements are concerned, the NE faults are the strongest, the NW next, and the WE are the weakest. They intersect ia block-faulting, differing in seismic activity, crustal movement rate and amplitude. On the whole, they gradually become stronger from west to east in accordance with the increasing tendency of stress field.The land is tilting toward the sea, especially ia western Guangxi Province.

HOLOCENE SEA LEVEL CHANGES AND CRUSTAL MOVEMENTS ALONG THE NORTHERN COASTS OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA

This paper discusses level changes of the sea in the last 6000 years and the recent crustal movements of the coasts of the South China Sea. There was one transgression in the middle Holocene (about 6000-3000 years ago); the sea level might not be higher than the actual one. Many terraces and coral reef platforms above the sea level can be explained by recent crustal movements.As far as the intensity of the crustal movements are concerned, the NE faults are the strongest, the NW next, and the WE are the weakest. They intersect ia block-faulting, differing in seismic activity, crustal movement rate and amplitude. On the whole, they gradually become stronger from west to east in accordance with the increasing tendency of stress field.The land is tilting toward the sea, especially in western Guangxi Province.