粤东后江湾海进海岸沉积特征和地貌发育

依据地质钻探和海滩观测资料，分析了后江湾海岸在海进作用下，海岸形成海进地层层序。滨面遭受侵蚀并正在后退和变陡。晚更新统陆相杂色粘土层和砾砂层直接暴露于海底。在海域供沙不足的情况下，整个海湾的海滩被侵蚀后退，而海滩各岸段侵蚀程度存在差异。     

Geoacoustic character,sedimentology and chronology of a cross-shelf Holocene sediment deposit off Cabo Frio,Brazil (southwest Atlantic Ocean)

The Cabo Frio region in the state of Rio de Janeiro, southeast coast of Brazil, is characterized by a local coastal upwelling system and converging littoral sediment transport systems that are deflected offshore at Cabo Frio, as a consequence of which a thick cross-shelf sediment deposit has developed over time. To investigate the evolution of this muddy deposit, geophysical, sedimentological and geochemical data from four sediment cores (3.8–4.1 m in length) recovered in water depths between 88 and 141 m were analyzed. The high-resolution seismic data show variable sediment thicknesses ranging from 1 to 20 m, comprising two sedimentary units separated by a high-impedance layer at a depth of about 10 m below the seafloor at the coring sites. According to the available age datings, the upper sedimentary unit is late Pleistocene to Holocene in age, whereas the lower unit (not dated) must, by implication, be entirely Pleistocene in age. The boomer-seismic reflection signal can be divided into three echo-types, namely transparent (inner shelf), stratified (middle shelf) and reflective (outer shelf), each type seemingly related to the local sediment composition. The upper 4 m of the upper sedimentary unit is dominated by silty sediment on the middle shelf, and by upward-fining sediments (silty sand to sandy silt) on the inner and outer shelf. The downcore trends of P-wave velocity, gamma-ray density and acoustic impedance are largely similar, but generally reversed to those of water and organic carbon contents. Total organic carbon contents increase with decreasing mean grain size, periodic fluctuations suggesting temporal changes in the regional hydrodynamics and primary productivity fuelled by the local upwelling system. The reconstruction of sedimentation rates in the course of the Holocene is based on 35 AMS age datings of organic material recovered from variable downcore depths. These range from a maximum of 13.3 cm/decade near the base of the inner shelf core (7.73–7.70 ka BP) to generally very low values (<0.11 cm/century) over the last thousand years in all cores. Over the last 6 ka there appear to have been three distinct sedimentation peaks, one between 6 and 5 ka BP, another between 4 and 3 ka PB, and one around 1 ka BP. Due to different time intervals between dates, not every peak is equally well resolved in all four cores. Based on the similar sedimentology of the inner and outer shelf cores, an essentially identical sedimentation model is proposed to have been active in both cases, albeit at different times. Thus, already during the last glacial maximum, alongshore sediment transport was deflected offshore by a change in shoreline orientation caused by the Cabo Frio structural high. The source of terrigenous material was probably a barrier-island complex that was subsequently displaced landward in the course of sea-level rise until it stabilized some 6.5 ka BP along the modern coast.     

Holocene reef growth in Torres Strait

The platform and fringing reefs of Torres Strait are morphologically similar to reefs of the northern Great Barrier Reef to the south, except that several are elongated in the direction of the strong tidal currents between the Coral Sea and the Gulf of Carpentaria. Surface and subsurface investigations and radiocarbon dating on Yam, Warraber and Hammond Islands reveal that the initiation and mode of Holocene reef growth reflect antecedent topography and sea-level history. On the granitic Yam Island, fringing reefs have established in some places over a Pleistocene limestone at about 6 m depth around 7000 years BP. Emergent Holocene microatolls of Porites sp. indicate that the reefs have prograded seawards while sea level has fallen gradually from at least 0.8 m above present about 5800 years BP. On the Warraber Island reef platform drilling near the centre indicated a Pleistocene limestone foundation at a depth of about 6 m over which reefs established around 6700 years BP. Reef growth lagged behind that on Yam Island. Microatolls on the mature reef flat indicate that the reef reached sea level around 5300 years BP when the sea was around 0.8–1.0 m above present. On the reef flat on the western side of Hammond Island bedrock was encountered at 7–8 m depth, overlain by terrigenous mud. A progradational reef sequence of only 1–2 m thickness has built seaward over these muds, as sea level has fallen over the past 5800 years. Reef-flat progradation on these reefs is interpreted to have occurred by a series of stepwise buildouts marked by lines of microatolls parallel to the reef crest, marking individual coalescing coral heads. Detrital infill has occurred between these. This pattern of reef progradation is consistent with the radiocarbon dating results from these reefs, and with seismic investigations on the Torres Reefs.     

Deep-sea terrigenous organic carbon transfer and accumulation: Impact of sea-level variations and sedimentation processes off the Ogooue River (Gabon)

Sedimentary, isotopic and bulk geochemical proxies measured in sediment samples of five gravity cores collected in the distal part of the Ogooue turbidite system (around 4000 m-depth) were used to develop a conceptual model to describe the accumulation of terrigenous organic matter (OM) during the last 200,000 yrs BP in the eastern part of the Gulf of Guinea. This model takes into account the influence of the different depositional processes (turbiditic vs hemipelagic sedimentation), geomorphological features and sea-level variations.Total organic carbon (TOC) and the stable organic carbon isotopes of the OM (δ¹³C) variability follow the highstand/lowstand (interglacial/glacial) cyclicity with a very low accumulation rate of terrigenous OM during periods of high sea-level and higher accumulation rate during period of low sea-level. A sea-level of 80–120 m below present day seems to favor the transfer of terrigenous sediments to the deep offshore environment through the turbidite system and thanks to the connection of the canyons heads with the river system presently located at the shelf edge at −120 m water depth.In this system, terrigenous OM matter delivered by the river accumulate in the sediments via two main processes. Indeed, a part of the terrigenous OM settles in combination with the finest particles forming hemipelagites, while another part, formed of very well preserved land plant debris, is transported and deposited far offshore with turbidity currents. The proportion of terrigenous OM accumulated due to turbidity currents is important as it can represent more than 70% of the carbon accumulated during sea-level lowstand. Moreover, terrigenous OM seems to preferentially accumulate in the levees and the lobes of the system notably due to the higher frequency of organic-rich turbidites.This study demonstrates that gravity flows, influenced by the sea-level variations, can significantly affect the terrigenous OM budget of the deep offshore Atlantic margins and that channel-levee complexes as well as turbidite lobes can be regarded as good sink for terrestrial organic carbon. These processes should be taken into consideration in the context of source rocks exploration but also for the estimation of the general carbon accumulation in ocean sediment.     

Geochemical and stratigraphic indicators of late Holocene coastal evolution in the Gythio area, southern Peloponnese, Greece

The study of past changes in sea level, and of historical and pre-historical coastal evolution, using coastal sediment stratigraphies is well-established over a range of geographic areas, in both seismic and aseismic settings. In the eastern Mediterranean, however, such studies are less common, and, notably, the use of sediment geochemistry, and its combination with lithostratigraphic studies to analyze palaeoenvironmental and palaeo-sea-level change, has not been explored to any significant extent, despite the fact that geochemical data have been successfully used elsewhere to aid in the identification of sea-level changes. Here, we use a combined geochemical, stratigraphic and microfossil approach to reconstruct late Holocene coastal evolution and sea-level change at two sites near Gythio in the southern Peloponnese, Greece. The sites show stratigraphic and geochemical evidence of the presence in Late Helladic times (ca. 1500 BC) of barrier-protected coastal lagoonal/wetland environments, which have gradually infilled over the last ca. 3500 yr. Archaeological remains and ceramic and charcoal-bearing horizons within the sediment sequences indicate Late Roman occupation of the area, although there is no sedimentary evidence of significant pre-Roman activity at the study sites. An apparent brackish wetland peat deposit at − 3.4 m (overlain by anoxic lagoonal clays) at Kamares (Kato Vathi) Bay shows a calibrated radiocarbon age of 1640–1440 BC, suggesting a relative sea-level rise of 0.8–1 mm/yr in this area over the past 3500 yr, in good agreement with previous archaeological and sea-level modelling studies. There is no evidence, based on the stratigraphic, microfossil or geochemical record, of sudden marine flooding events related to local or regional seismic activity, despite the presence of the area in a seismically active zone known to be subject to periodic earthquakes and tsunami. The data highlight the utility of combining geochemical and stratigraphic studies in the reconstruction of coastal evolution and the study of palaeo-sea-level changes, particularly in sequences (such as those described here) where microfossils are poorly preserved.     

珠江口伶仃洋海底沉积

在前人工作的基础上,利用2003—2005年广州海洋地质调查局1∶10万《珠江三角洲近岸海洋地质环境与地质灾害调查》项目的实测资料,综合分析了伶仃洋海底的沉积特征,认为伶仃洋表层沉积物类型有:砂、黏土质砂、砂-粉砂-黏土、砂质黏土、黏土质粉砂、粉砂质黏土等6种类型。伶仃洋晚更新世以来的海底地层主要有两套:层A为全新世冰后期海侵以来逐渐堆积而成的沉积物,钻孔揭示的沉积物类型主要为黏土质砂和砂—粉砂—粉砂质黏土;层B为一套晚更新世的黏土质粉砂、细砂—粗砂(含砾)、粉砂质黏土—黏土,以陆相沉积和剥蚀为主,局部为海陆交互相沉积,其下地层则为基岩风化物和基岩。     

Ultraviolet absorption/salinity correlation as an index of pollution in inshore sea waters

Ultraviolet absorption spectra of fresh and marine waters along the southern coast of Viti Levu, Fiji, are recorded. Variations in the magnitude of the absorption from streams deyoid of human influence limit the use of such measurements as a sensitive index of organic pollution. However, where there is a significant difference between the absorption magnitudes of adjacent streams, these can be individually identified in coastal waters by concurrent absorption and salinity measurements. Such measurements characterise water masses in inshore waters, and indicate the origin of their freshwater components. Consequently the method has particular relevance in sea areas influenced by fresh waters with enhanced ultraviolet absorbance due to organic pollution.     

Facies architecture of the mixed carbonate/siliciclastic inner continental shelf of west-central Florida: implications for Holocene barrier development

Sediment vibracores and surface samples were collected from the mixed carbonate/siliciclastic inner shelf of west–central Florida in an effort to determine the three-dimensional facies architecture and Holocene geologic development of the coastal barrier-island and adjacent shallow marine environments. The unconsolidated sediment veneer is thin (generally <3 m), with a patchy distribution. Nine facies are identified representing Miocene platform deposits (limestone gravel and blue–green clay facies), Pleistocene restricted marine deposits (lime mud facies), and Holocene back-barrier (organic muddy sand, olive-gray mud, and muddy sand facies) and open marine (well-sorted quartz sand, shelly sand, and black sand facies) deposits. Holocene back-barrier facies are separated from overlying open marine facies by a ravinement surface formed during the late Holocene rise in sea level. Facies associations are naturally divided into four discrete types. The pattern of distribution and ages of facies suggest that barrier islands developed approximately 8200 yr BP and in excess of 20 km seaward of the present coastline in the north, and more recently and nearer to their present position in the south. No barrier-island development prior to approximately 8200 yr BP is indicated. Initiation of barrier-island development is most likely due to a slowing in the Holocene sea-level rise ca. 8000 yr BP, coupled with the intersection of the coast with quartz sand deposits formed during Pleistocene sea-level highstands. This study is an example of a mixed carbonate/siliciclastic shallow marine depositional system that is tightly constrained in both time and sea-level position. It provides a useful analog for the study of other, similar depositional systems in both the modern and ancient rock record.     

Marine geology of the Sodwana Bay shelf, southeast Africa

The geostrophic current-controlled northern Zululand shelf displays a unique assemblage of interesting physical, sedimentological and biological phenomena. The shelf in this area is extremely narrow (3 km) and is characterised by submarine canyons, coral reefs, and steep gradients on the continental slope. Three submarine canyons occur in the study area and are classified as mature- or youthful-phase canyons depending on the degree to which they breach the shelf. These canyons originated as mass-wasting features which were exploited by palaeo-drainage during sea-level regressions. Shelf lithology is dominated by a series of coast-parallel patch coral reefs which have colonised beachrock and aeolianite sequences that extend semi-continuously from −5 to −95 m, and delineate late Pleistocene palaeocoastline events. The unconsolidated sediment on the shelf is either shelf sand (mainly terrigenous quartz grains) or bioclastic sediment. Large-scale subaqueous dunes commonly form in the unconsolidated sediment on the outer-shelf due to the Agulhas Current flow. These dunes occur as two distinct fields at depths of −35 to −70 m; the major sediment transport direction is towards the south, but occasional bedload parting zones exist where the bedform migration direction changes from south to north.     

Holocene sedimentation of a wave-dominated barrierisland shoreline: Cape Lookout, North Carolina

The sedimentary record of 130 km of microtidal (0.9 m tidal range) high wave energy (1.5 m average wave height) barrier island shoreline of the Cape Lookout cuspate foreland has been evaluated through examination of 3136 m of subsurface samples from closely spaced drill holes. Holocene sedimentation and coastal evolution has been a function of five major depositional processes: (1) eustatic sea-level rise and barrier-shoreline transgression; (2) lateral tidal inlet migration and reworking of barrier island deposits; (3) shoreface sedimentation and local barrier progradation; (4) storm washover deposition with infilling of shallow lagoons; and (5) flood-tidal delta sedimentation in back-barrier environments.

Twenty-five radiocarbon dates of subsurface peat and shell material from the Cape Lookout area are the basis for a late Holocene sea-level curve. From 9000 to 4000 B.P. eustatic sea level rose rapidly, resulting in landward migration of both barrier limbs of the cuspate foreland. A decline in the rate of sea-level rise since 4000 B.P. resulted in relative shoreline stabilization and deposition of contrasting coastal sedimentary sequences. The higher energy, storm-dominated northeast barrier limb (Core and Portsmouth Banks) has migrated landward producing a transgressive sequence of coarse-grained, horizontally bedded washover sands overlying burrowed to laminated back-barrier and lagoonal silty sands. Locally, ephemeral tidal inlets have reworked the transgressive barrier sequence depositing fining-upward spit platform and channel-fill sequences of cross-bedded, pebble gravel to fine sand and shell. Shoreface sedimentation along a portion of the lower energy, northwest barrier limb (Bogue Banks) has resulted in shoreline progradation and deposition of a coarsening-up sequence of burrowed to cross-bedded and laminated, fine-grained shoreface and foreshore sands. In contrast, the adjacent barrier island (Shackleford Banks) consists almost totally of inlet-fill sediments deposited by lateral tidal inlet migration. Holocene sediments in the shallow lagoons behind the barriers are 5–8 m thick fining-up sequences of interbedded burrowed, rooted and laminated flood-tidal delta, salt marsh, and washover sands, silts and clays.

While barrier island sequences are generally 10 m in thickness, inlet-fill sequences may be as much as 25 m thick and comprise an average of 35% of the Holocene sedimentary deposits. Tidal inlet-fill, back-barrier (including flood-tidal delta) and shoreface deposits are the most highly preservable facies in the wave-dominated barrier-shoreline setting. In the Cape Lookout cuspate foreland, these three facies account for over 80% of the sedimentary deposits preserved beneath the barriers. Foreshore, spit platform and overwash facies account for the remaining 20%.     

Seismic and sequence stratigraphy of the central western continental margin of India: late-Quaternary evolution

Seismic and sequence stratigraphic architecture of the central western continental margin of India (between Coondapur and south of Mangalore) has been investigated with shallow seismic data. Seismic stratigraphic analysis defined nine seismic units, that are configured in a major type-1 depositional sequence possibly related to fourth-order eustatic sea-level changes, comprising regressive, lowstand, transgressive and highstand systems tracts. The late-Quaternary evolution of the continental margin took place under the influence of an asymmetric relative fourth-order sea-level cycle punctuated by higher frequency cycles. These cycles of minor order were characterised by rapid sea-level rises and gradual sea-level falls that generated depositional sequences spanning different time scales. During the regressive periods, dipping strata were developed, while erosional surfaces and incised valleys were formed during the lowstands of sea level. Terraces, v-shaped depressions, lagoon-like structures observed on the outer continental shelf are the result of the transgressive period. In the study area we have recognised a complex erosional surface that records a long time span during the relative sea-level fall (regressive period) and the following sea-level lowstand and has been reworked during the last transgression. We also infer that sedimentation processes changed from siliciclastic sedimentation to carbonate sedimentation and again to siliciclastic sedimentation, marking an important phase in the late-Quaternary evolution of the western continental shelf of India. We attribute this to an abrupt climate change at the end of the oxygen isotope stage 2, between the Last Glacial Maximum and the Bølling-Allerod event (14?000 yr BP). This sensitive climate change (warming) favoured the formation of reefs at various depths on the shelf, besides the development of Fifty Fathom Flat, a carbonate platform on the outer shelf off Bombay developed prior to 8300 yr BP. The highstand systems tracts were deposited after the sea level reached its present position.     

Quaternary evolution of the Ría de Vigo, Spain

The seismic analysis of the sedimentary infill of the Ría de Vigo reveals that the infill comprises of a fifth order sequence (18 ky) bounded by a major discontinuity surface. Within the Holocene sequence, several seismic units have been identified; the oldest one originated after the Würm glaciation and the origin of its top discontinuity was eroded during the regression (sea level at − 120 m) of this last glacial episode (isotopic stages 2 to 4), 18 ky B.P.

In some places below this ría infill, another sequence can be identified. This older sequence is associated with the pre-existing faults and troughs in the deepest parts of the ría, and it was deposited during the Würm glaciation (Miocene–Pleistocene). Eroded sediments were moved from the rías area to deeper zones, where they accumulated in the lowstand system tract. The next sea level rise occured in two steps, producing two transgressive units separated by an hiatus surface. This cycle was interrupted by the next sea level fall (to − 55 m) marked on the seismic records by another recognizable boundary. The next sea level rise took place in several steps (back-stepping) with some stillstands, generating another transgressive system tract in the ría. From that time on, the relative sea level continued rising, depositing the most recent unit which represents the highstand system tract. Separating the highstand system tract and the transgresive unit below there is a consensed section.

The analysis of 29 cores provides groundtruthing for our hypothesis. The identified main lithologic units show a transgressive sequence: a granitic rock base, an overlying second unit-locally wedge shaped- and most recently, a marine muddy unit covering the present ría seafloor.     

海河口地区全新世海侵层的相变与海面波动的对应关系

B_2孔揭示海河口地区全新世海侵层厚达19.2m,自下往上依次出现潮间滩、近岸浅海、前三角洲、三角洲湾、河口砂坝及河口边滩六个亚相,下部两个亚相呈海进层序,上部四个亚相呈海退层序。除河口边滩亚相底界外,其他所有亚相间的界面均为不连续面,显示海侵层为不连续沉积。研究表明该不连续沉积与海面波动有关.在全新世海侵高峰后,海面一直处于幅度不大(约1m 左右)的振荡运动状态,一次振荡波就在海岸线上留下一道贝壳堤,近5000余年来发生了5次振荡波,在海退平原中就有5道贝克堤与之对应。B_2孔海退层序中曲不连续面与贝壳堤基底侵蚀面相对应,也与振荡波的上升坡段相对应。海退层序所表现出来的海岸向海推进现象不是海面大幅度下降的反映,而主要是河口区沉积物迅速加积的结果。     

福建古牡蛎礁与海面、海岸线变动

本文研究了福建沿海古牡蛎礁的分布、产状和年代,并据此确定了福建沿岸3000多年以来各有两次明显的上升和下降。两次上升是距今3000年( 2.0m左右)和2000—1500年( 1.5m左右)。两次下降是距今3000—2100年(0m附近)和1500—700年(-0.4m左右)。     

Mid-Holocene evolution and paleoenvironments of the shoreface–offshore transition, north-eastern Argentina: New evidence based on benthic microfauna

A sedimentary record spanning 5792–5511 cal yr BP and 3188–2854 cal yr BP was recovered at 36° 45′ 43″ S–56 ° 37′ 13″ W, south-west South Atlantic. The sedimentological features and micropaleontological (benthic foraminifera and ostracoda) content were analyzed in order to reconstruct paleoenvironmental conditions. Considerable environmental fluctuations are indicated by all these proxies. Five different stages were distinguished: Stage 1 (ca. 5800–5000 cal yr BP) consists of muddy sand with abundant microfossils. In this interval, species typical for inner marine shelf environments maintained a high abundance. Stage 2 consists of plastic light greenish grey clays barren of microfossils, and probably represents fluvial input from the de la Plata River to the shelf contemporaneous of a lowering of sea level. Stage 3 is composed of brownish yellow sandy silts, and represents increasing marine conditions in the area as reflected by higher faunal diversity and typical foraminifera of inner shelf environments. Stage 4 is made of homogeneous mud, barren of microfossil, which represents a new pulse of fluvial input to the shelf in consequence of a new fall in sea level. The final part of the core (Stage 5) is a coarsening upward sequence, grading from greeny brown clayey sandy silts to coarse shelly sands and represents the modern sedimentation in the area. This interpretation strengthens the stepped model of late-Holocene sea-level fall between 5511–5792 cal yr BP and 2854–3188 cal yr BP in Buenos Aires coast, and agrees with the relative sea-level history previously proposed by some authors from western South Atlantic coasts.     

珠江口盆地晚第四纪地层及环境初步研究

本文利用珠江口盆地四个工程钻井的古生物、古地磁、同位素及沉积物资料，对钻孔所揭露的地层进行划分，认为所钻遇的地层包括下更新统（上部）、中更新统、上更新统及全新统。依据古生物分异度及含量作出海平面变化曲线，识别出十个海侵期，利用钙质超微化石特征种的初现面和末现面资料，将本区海平面变化曲线与太平洋Ｖ＿（２８－２３９）氧同位素曲线对比，分析了本区晚第四纪以来的沉积环境和气候，认为早更新世晚期，中更新世中期，晚更新世早期及全新世本区气候温暖，沉积环境属陆架浅海环境。     

珠江三角洲万顷沙地区晚第四纪沉积相与古环境演变

通过对广州万顷沙地区GZ-2孔年代地层学、沉积学、古环境学等多学科综合分析,认为该区全新世沉积起始时间为6 kaBP,始于孔深15.37 m处,其下至孔深40.35 m沉积属晚更新世中晚期沉积,最老年龄大约43 kaBP,与珠江三角洲最早沉积同期;晚更新世以来的沉积古环境变化可分为2个旋回,晚更新世中晚期海侵海退旋回(含4个次一级旋回)和全新世海侵海退旋回(含2个次一级旋回),在末次冰期时的低海平面期,本区仍发育有河湖相沉积;结合多种古环境重建替代性指标得出了珠江三角洲相对海平面变化曲线,认为晚更新世中晚期海侵高海平面期约为26~24 kaBP,全新世海侵高海平面期约为6~2.5 kaBP,全新世海侵比晚更新世中晚期海侵强度更大,且珠江三角洲晚第四纪古环境演变明显受全球性古环境变化控制。     

Biomarker records,organic carbon accumulation,and river discharge in the Holocene southern Kara Sea (Arctic Ocean)

Within the Russian–German research project on “Siberian River Run-off (SIRRO)” dealing with freshwater discharge and its influence on biological, geochemical, and geological processes in the Kara Sea, sedimentological and organic-geochemical investigations were carried out on two well-dated sediment cores from the Yenisei Estuary area. The main goal of this study was to quantify terrigenous organic carbon accumulation based on biomarker and bulk accumulation rate data, and its relationship to Yenisei river discharge and climate change through Holocene times. The biomarker data in both cores clearly indicate the predominance of terrigenous organic matter, reaching 70–100 and 50–80% of total organic carbon within and directly north of the estuary, respectively. During the last ca. 9 cal ka b.p. represented in the studied sediment section, siliciclastic sediment and (terrigenous) organic carbon input was strongly influenced by postglacial sea-level rise and climate-related changes in river discharge. The mid-Holocene Climatic Optimum is documented by maximum river discharge between 8.2 and 7.3 cal ka b.p. During the last 2,000 years, river discharge probably decreased, and accumulation of both terrigenous and marine organic carbon increased due to enhanced coagulation of fine-grained material.     

Fossil fauna and transgressive.sequence from core QC2 in the South Huanghai Sea

According to palaeoenvironmental analysis on the fossil fauna dominated by Foraminifera and Ostracoda, core QC2 contains 8 marine transgressive beds, called (from up to bottom) Transgressive Beds Ⅰ,Ⅱ, Ⅲ, …,Ⅷ respectively. Together with dating data, the transgressive sequence since 1. 7 Ma B. P. has been established, indicating that the core went through middle and late Early Pleistocene, early and late Middle Pleistocene, early and late (Substages A and B) Late Pleistocene and the Holocene transgressions. Within these 8 transgressions, late Middle Pleistocene, early Late Pleistocene and the Holocene transgressions-had rather strong activities proved by shallow sea (of 50 or 20-50 m water depth) deposits in the prime, while 2 of the 8, during middle Early Pleistocene and late Late Pleistocene (Substage A), were much weaker only with supratidal deposits. The transgressive cycles also differ from each other. Transgressions in the Holocene and in Substage B of late Late Pleistocene are made up of 3 and     

Late Quaternary stratigraphy and evolution of a Korean tidal flat,Haenam Bay,Southeastern Yellow Sea,Korea

Sediment cores from a tidal flat in the southeastern Yellow Sea, Korea, contain two major depositional units, a Holocene unit (Unit I) and an underlying late Pleistocene unit (Unit II). Unit I (up to 15 m thick) is a middle to late Holocene, coarsening-upward transgressive deposit. Unit II (about 10 m thick) is interpreted as tidal-flat deposits from the last interglacial period (probably oxygen-isotope stage 5e), based on its many tide-influenced signatures such as laminated silt/clay, tidal rhythmites, fossil crab burrows, authigenic minerals (pyrite and halite), clay mineral composition and a dinoflagellate cyst assemblage comparable to that of Unit I. Units I and II are separated by a regional unconformity which is highlighted by a yellow ‘oxidized layer’ in uppermost Unit II. The layer contains abundant evidence of subaerial exposure, including a yellowish sediment color, semi-consolidation, desiccation cracks, cryoturbation structures, and high degree of magnetic susceptibility. Two major interglacial highstands (Units I and II) and one glacial lowstand (uppermost oxidized layer of Unit II) thus characterize coastal to nearshore tidal deposits along the eastern margin of the Yellow Sea (western Korea).