Pleistocene radiolarian biostratigraphy in the South China Sea*

Based on a quantitative radiolarian analysis, 5 radiolarian zones (NR1-NR5) have been defined at Core. 17957-2 from the South China Sea, considering radiolarian zonations from low latitudes. The absolute age assignment of the radiolarian zones and the ranges of the six marker species is based on the direct correlation with the paleomagnetic and isotopic record, respectively. A comparison of the radiolarian stratigraphic data obtained from Core 17957-2 from the South China Sea with those from the equatorial Pacific and the tropical Indian Ocean shows a close similarity to the ages defined in the equatorial Pacific. The obtained biostratigraphic data provide an excellent tool for further dating of Pleistocene sediments in the China Sea. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 49291100) and by the German Federal Ministry for Education, Science, Research and Technology (BMBF) as part of a GermadChinese scientific cooperation program. This is Alfred Wegener Contribution No. 1473.     

Chronological and paleoceanographic constraints of Miocene to Pliocene ‘mud sea’ in the Ryukyu Islands (southwestern Japan) based on calcareous nannofossil assemblages

The Cenozoic sedimentary succession in Okinawa‐jima, including the upper Miocene to Pleistocene siliciclastic deposits (Shimajiri Group) and the Pleistocene reef to shelf deposits (Ryukyu Group), suggests a drastic paleoceanographic change from a ‘mud sea’ to a ‘coral sea.’ To delineate the paleoceanographic evolution of the mud sea, we quantified the stratigraphic distribution of the calcareous nannofossil assemblages from the Shimajiri Group in a 2119.49 m‐deep well (Nanjo R1 Exploratory Well) drilled in southern Okinawa‐jima (Ryukyu Islands, southwestern Japan). Four late Miocene and Pliocene datum planes were found in the studied interval: the first occurrence of Amaurolithus spp. (7.42 Ma), the last occurrence of Discoaster quinqueramus (5.59 Ma), the first occurrence of Ceratolithus rugosus (5.12 Ma), and the last occurrence of Reticulofenestra pseudoumbilicus (3.70 Ma). The calcareous nannofossil assemblages from the Tomigusuku Formation and the lower part of the Yonabaru Formation are characterized by a lower total number of coccoliths and abundant Sphenolithus abies that is associated, at times, with common Discoaster spp. Overall, these suggest the existence of oligotrophic conditions between 5.3 and >8.3 Ma. The total number of coccoliths increased and small Reticulofenestra spp. became more common in the middle part of the Yonabaru Formation, suggesting that eutrophic conditions were present between 3.5 and 5.3 Ma. The rare occurrence of calcareous nannofossils in the upper part of the Yonabaru Formation indicates a return to oligotrophic conditions at 3.5 Ma. Micropaleontological evidence suggests that these oceanographic changes were likely caused by local tectonic movement (shallowing of the sedimentary basin in which the Shimajiri Group was deposited).     

Middle Miocene to Pleistocene radiolarian biostratigraphy in the Northwest Pacific Ocean, ODP Leg 186

Abstract The Upper Cenozoic sedimentary sequences drilled at Sites 1150 and 1151, Ocean Drilling Program Leg 186, enabled establishment of radiolarian zonation and calibration of the age of bioevents in the forearc area of the northern Japan Islands. The sequences were divided into nine zones from the Pleistocene Botryostrobus aquilonaris Zone to the Upper Miocene Lipmanella redondoensis Zone at Site 1150, and 11 zones from the Pleistocene Stylatractus universus Zone to the Middle Miocene Dendrospyris? sakaii Zone at Site 1151. These zones correlate successfully with the studied sequences of many of deep‐sea cores in the Northwest Pacific Ocean and with some sections of onshore Japan. Of 67 important radiolarian bioevents recognized during the study, 29 Pleistocene to Upper Miocene events were directly tied to the geomagnetic polarity time scale through the well‐defined paleomagnetic polarity records, and 21 Upper Miocene events were calibrated based on the diatom biostratigraphy. Of these events, 24 geographically widespread events were selected to test synchroneity and usefulness as time‐horizons within the mid‐to‐high latitude of the Northwest Pacific, involving eight other offshore and onshore sections. Examination showed that most of the zonal boundary events are synchronous within the considered region, and that many diachronous events, most of which are eliminated from the zonal scheme, are unreliable events linked to rare and sporadic occurrences of the species. Radiolarian biostratigraphy of the studied cores clearly indicates three major hiatuses in the Middle Pleistocene, Late Miocene and late Middle Miocene. The latter two hiatuses can be correlated to two global oceanic hiatuses, NH6 and NH3, respectively.     

Provenance of a prominent sediment drift on the northern slope of the South China Sea

The sedimentation rate of the sediment drift in the southeast of Dongsha Islands is as high as 49 cm/ka in the last 1.05 Ma. Although the sedimentation rate changes with time, the contents of rare elements of the sediments remain almost the same, indicating that the source area of the sediments has been constant with time. On the triangular diagrams of La-Th-Sc and Th-Sc-Zr/10, the samples from the southeast of Dongsha Islands fall within the continental island arc field, overlapping the samples from Taiwan, while the samples from the Pearl River, those from the west of the Philippines that contain volcanic material, are separated from them. This indicates that the sediments from the southeast of Dongsha Islands have a close relationship to those from Taiwan in terms of provenance. In fact, the sediments on the northern slope of the South China Sea were derived from northeast direction, as well as from Taiwan, most probably transported from Taiwan through Penghu channel into the South China Sea. The terrigenous part of the deep-sea sediments in the north of the South China Sea was provided by different sources.     

Quaternary clay mineralogy in the northern South China Sea (ODP Site 1146)

Measurement of clay mineralogy at ODP Site 1146 in the northern South China Sea (SCS) indicates that illite, chlorite, and kaolinite contents increased during glacials and smectite content increased during interglacials. The smectite/(illite+chlorite) ratio and the smectite abundance were determined as mineralogical indicators for the East Asian monsoon evolution. At a 10 ka timescale, prevailing southeasterly surface oceanic currents during interglacials transported more smectite from the south and east areas to the north, showing a strengthened summer monsoon circulation, whereas dominated counter-clockwise surface currents during glacials carried more illite and chlorite from Taiwan as well as from the Yangtze River via the Luzon Strait to the northern SCS, indicating a strongly intensified winter monsoon. Based on a 100 ka timescale, a linear correlation between the smectite/(illite+chlorite) ratio and the sedimentation rate reflects that the winter monsoon has prevailed in the northern SCS in the intervals 2000–1200 ka and 400–0 ka and the summer monsoon did the same in the interval 1200–400 ka. The evolution of the summer monsoon provides an almost linear response to the summer insolation of Northern Hemisphere, implying an astronomical forcing of the East Asian monsoon evolution.     

Palynological record during the Pleistocene (between 1.05 Ma and 0.36 Ma) from ODP1144, northern South China Sea

This paper presents the pollen record from the lower section of ODP1144 (depth 501.3-225.7 m, ca. 1.05-0.36 Ma). Two pollen zones (PA and PB) and eleven pollen subzones are recognized. Within zone PB, the 11 pollen subzones (PB21-11) are defined according to the pine, fern and herb variations, and are equivalent to the marine isotope stages 21-11 (MISs 21-11). The interglacial periods are typified by an increase in pine pollen and fern spores, and a decrease in herbaceous pollen, while the patterning during the glacial periods is just the opposite. During the interglacial periods, pollen assemblages were dominated by pine similar to those of the present day, suggesting that the paleoenvironment of the interglacial periods was similar to that of the present day, whereas the glacial periods are marked by an increase in herbaceous pollen, mainly Gramineae and Cyperaceae, indicating that grassland covered the exposed continental shelf when sea level declined. Increased Artemisia percentages and the highest     

南黄海中部隆起中-古生代地层发育新认识——基于大陆架科学钻探CSDP-02井钻探成果

南黄海中部隆起海相地层埋藏浅,是南黄海盆地油气勘探的重点,但由于缺乏钻井资料约束,中部隆起中-古生界的地层属性一直存在争议.大陆架科学钻探CSDP-02井是南黄海中部隆起第一口钻井,也是南黄海盆地钻遇地层最深的一口全取心井.本文在分析大陆架科学钻探CSDP-02井的岩心、测井和相应多道地震资料基础上,明确了中部隆起中-古生界的地层属性：在新近系充填沉积之下,依次发育三叠系下统青龙组下段、二叠系上统大隆组、龙潭组,二叠系下统孤峰组、栖霞组,石炭系船山组、黄龙组、和州组和高骊山组,泥盆系五通群和志留系高家边组、奥陶系.结合地球物理测井曲线分析与区域地质认识,确定了地震反射界面T2、T8、T9、T10、T11的反射特征与对应的地质界面.中部隆起地层分布特征整体受南黄海构造运动的影响,早古生代地层平缓,断裂不发育,加里东运动造成志留系上统及中下泥盆统沉积缺失,石炭系-二叠系在中部隆起广泛发育,厚度大,二叠系最大沉积厚度约1900 m,中生界残留地层分布局限,主要保存下三叠系,地层厚度变化范围较大.

     

基于古地磁与~(230)Th定年的西沙西科1井乐东组生物礁沉积年代的初步研究

生物礁是重要的自然资源,在全球气候变化与碳循环中扮演了重要角色.磁性地层学是建立年代框架的有效手段,但是,由于生物礁沉积物中天然剩磁强度弱,南海地区生物礁的磁性地层学研究尚未很好展开.为此,本文利用西沙群岛西科1井乐东组生物礁沉积样品进行了详细的岩石磁学和磁性地层学研究.结果显示,西沙群岛乐东组记录了布容正极性时、奥杜维尔正极性时和松山负极性时.通过对比已有的钻孔资料,本文认为应基于岩石地层特征这一标准将西沙地区的乐东组埋深予以统一.在此基础上,综合磁性地层与~(230)Th定年结果,本文将乐东组的底界限定在~2.0 Ma.     

南海中北部地壳深部结构探测新进展

2006年8～10月间．国家海洋局第二海洋研究所使用德国SEDIS型三分量海底地震仪以气枪为震源在南海中北部开展了广角地震反射／折射勘测．这是我国大陆科研单位第一次自主开展长距离多剖面的海底地震仪人工地震探测。勘测线共三条。总长达1176．8km．工区最大水深4137m．共投放48台次,回收成功率95-8％。所获得的数据质量良好,深部信息丰富．可直观地分辨出照、Pn、PmP等震相,为南海中北部深部地壳结构、洋壳与陆壳分界和西北、西南次海盆的形成演化研究提供了重要的依据。     

Paleoceanographic evolution recorded in the northern South China Sea since 4 Ma

The late Pliocene-Pleistocene is of great interest for understanding the Earth’s climate system, because not only the late Pliocene is the latest period with tem-perature significantly higher than the Holocene, but also during the Pliocene/Pleistocene transition the Earth’s environment changed from a warm and uni-form climate state into an extreme one with typical glacial-interglacial cycles. During this period the Earth’s climate experienced through the grandly phased rising of the Qing…     

Stepwise paleoceanographic changes during the last deglaciation in the southern South China Sea Records of stable isotope and microfossils

Quantitative analyses of microfossils and stable isotopic analysis were carried out for Core SCS-12 in the southwestern slope of the South China Sea (SCS). A high-resolution paleoceanographic record for the last 13 ka was revealed with the AMS¹⁴C dates. The southern SCS has experienced stepwise paleoceanographic changes since the last deglaciation. The oxygen isotopic stage 1/2 boundary around 12.05 ka B. P. and the end of the last deglaciation around 7.70 ka B.P. are two rapid change periods (corresponding to the terminationIa and terminationIb, respectively), in between is a slow change period. The authors infer that the sea level stood at - 110 m before the terminationIa, roughly the same as today after the termination I_B, and about - 50 m in between. Subsequently, the average winter sea surface temperature and salinity obviously increased while paleo-productivity decreased since 12.05 ka B.P. The early Holocene CaCO₃ preservation spike, coupled with a high abundance of pteropoda and CaCO₃ content, occurred around 7.70 ka B. P. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 49576286 and 49732086).     

西沙群岛西科1井晚中新世-上新世生物礁沉积的磁性地层学初步结果

本文对西沙群岛西科1井钻孔岩心晚中新世-上新世生物礁沉积进行了详细的岩石磁学、磁性扫描与磁性地层学研究.结果显示,西科1井生物礁相沉积中的载磁矿物主要是磁铁矿.我们推测,这些磁铁矿的微小颗粒主要来自海水中含有的陆源物质,在生物生长过程中通过珊瑚体或其它寄生生物对海水的过滤与吸附作用保存在生物礁沉积中.进一步的磁性地层学研究及其与地磁极性年表的对比发现,在上新统莺歌海组、上中新统黄流组内部可获得多个年龄控制点,并对莺歌海组和黄流组的底界位置给出了初步制约.其中,莺歌海组记录了C2An.3n和C3n.4n,黄流组记录了C3An.2n至C5n.2n.虽然这一对比方案存在一定不确定性,但是在现阶段生物地层年代及其它年代学资料相对匮乏的情况下,我们认为本项研究的磁性地层学结果能为西沙群岛晚中新世以来的生物礁沉积提供更多可靠的年龄控制点,并为今后的区域地层对比提供磁性地层年代学依据.     

An abrupt cooling event early in the last interglacial in the northern South China Sea

The high-resolution quantitative analysis of the planktonic foraminifera and the δ¹⁸O records of the section between 96.49– 137.6 mcd at ODP Site 1144 on the continental slope of northern South China Sea reveals an abrupt cooling event of sea surface temperature (SST) during the last interglacial (MIS 5.5, i.e. 5e). The dropping range of the winter SST may come to 7.5°C corresponding to 1.2‰ of the δ¹⁸O value of sea surface water. This event is comparable with those discovered in the west Europe and the northern Atlantic Ocean, but expressed in a more intensive way. It is inferred that this event may have been induced by middle- to low-latitude processes rather than by polar ice sheet change. Since the Kuroshio-index speciesPulleniatina obliquiloculata displayed the most distinct change at the event, it may also be related to the paleoceanographic change of the low-latitude area in the western Pacific Ocean. This event can be considered as one of “Younger Dryas-style coolings” and is indicative of climate variability of the last interglacial stage.     

Oxygen isotope stratigraphy and events in the northern South China Sea during the last 6 million years

Based on the stable isotopic analysis of more than 1000 samples of planktonic and benthic foraminifers from ODP Site 1148 in the northern South China Sea (SCS), the oxygen isotope stratigraphy has been applied to the last 3 million years for the first time in the SCS. Furthermore, the paleoceanographic changes in the northern SCS during the last 6 million years have been unraveled. The benthic foraminiferal δ¹⁸O record shows that before δ3.1 Ma the SCS was much more influenced by the warm intermediate water of the Pacific. The remarkable decrease in the deepwater temperature of the SCS during the period of 3.1-2.5 Ma demonstrates the formation of the Northern Hemisphere ice-sheet. However, the several sea surface temperature (SST) reductions during the early and middle Pliocene, reflected by the planktonic foraminiferal δ¹⁸O, might be related to the ice-sheet growth in the Antarctic region. Only those stepwise and irreversible SST reductions during the period of δ2.2-0.9 Ma could be related to the formation and growth of the Northern Hemisphere ice-sheet.     

A quantitative approach to deep-water sedimentation in the South China Sea: Changes since the last glaciation

The first attempt is made to evaluate quantitatively the changes of accumulation rates in the South China Sea during the last glaciation and Holocene, based on the data of 72 sediment cores taken from six areas deeper than 100 m. As shown from the calculations, the accumulation rate during the last glaciation is much higher than that during the Holocene. The southern and northern continental slopes are distinguished from other areas by the highest accumulation rates, with different features of sedimentation for aifferent stages: The Glacial-Holocene contrast in accumulation rate of terrigenous material is more distinct in the southern slope, while the contrast in biogenic sedimentation rate is more remarkable in the northern slope. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 49576268).     

A record of Miocene carbon excursions in the South China Sea

High-resolution δ¹³C records are presented for the Miocene benthic foraminifersCibicidoides wuellerstorfi andC. kullenbergi (24-5 Ma) and the planktonic foraminiferGlobigerinoides sacculifer (18-5 Ma) from ODP Site 1148A (18° 50.17’N, 116° 33.93’E, water depth 3308.3 m), northern South China Sea. The general pattern of parallel benthic and planktonic δ¹³C shows a decrease trend of δ¹³C values from the early-middle Miocene to the middle-late Miocene. Two distinct δ¹³C positive excursions at 23.1-22.2 and 17.3-13.6 Ma, and two negative excursions at 10.2-9.4 and 6.9-6.2 Ma have been recognized. All these events are cosmopolitan, providing the good data for the stratigraphic correlation of the South China Sea with the global oceans as well as for studying the changes of the global carbon reservoir and its corresponding climate.     

Quaternary clay mineralogy in the northern South China Sea (ODP Site 1146) —— Implications for oceanic current transport and East Asian monsoon evolution

The East Asian monsoon system is a thermodynamic atmospheric circulation induced by the different potential heating between the 揥estern Pacific Warm Pool?(WPWP) and the Asian continent. The circulation patterns dominate seasonal patterns of winds, preci…     

南海深部构造特征及其地质意义:来自重磁位场反演的认识

莫霍面和居里面是认识深部过程重要的地质与地球物理界面.为了进一步理解南海深部构造活动与洋盆扩张的关系,本文以OBS剖面和深反射地震剖面作为约束,对卫星测高重力异常进行海水、沉积层影响校正,采用最小曲率位场分离方法消除局部密度体的重力影响,获取了反映莫霍面起伏的重力异常,并利用双界面模型重力场快速反演方法计算得到了南海地区莫霍面深度值.通过与居里面起伏的对比研究,发现南海莫霍面和居里面整体均表现为"洋盆浅、周缘深"的菱形特征,两者在洋陆转换区呈现明显的窄梯级带特征,反映了南海扩张期岩石圈的强烈伸展减薄、南北向构造拉张作用等深部构造过程.洋盆莫霍面和居里面的西南向楔形形态是对南海由东向西渐进式扩张的深部构造响应.洋盆南部莫霍面浅于北部,这与扩张中心逐渐向南迁移的特征一致,而洋盆居里面南深北浅的特征则可能与洋盆的简单剪切扩张方式以及洋盆北部的岩浆活动更活跃有关.南海地区莫霍面和居里面呈现交错叠置关系,南、北陆缘表现为明显的深部构造差异,说明南海为非对称式扩张.北部陆缘区居里面深度浅于莫霍面,而洋盆区和南部陆缘区居里面深于莫霍面,这与南、北陆缘性质的差异和南部陆缘复杂的中-新生代俯冲碰撞等构造演化相关,而洋盆区居里面深于莫霍面的现象推测与大洋上地幔橄榄岩蛇纹石化导致的岩石磁性增强有关.     

南海琼东南盆地天然气水合物稳定域分布特征及资源预测

琼东南盆地油气地质显示盆地内具有生物成因和热成因天然气的巨大生成能力和远景. 地震剖面显示盆地内发育有泥底辟和气烟囱、沟通泥底辟和气烟囱与海底的断裂及可能正在活动的天然气冷泉,这些特征非常有利于天然气水合物的发育. 通过天然气水合物热力学稳定域预测,确定了琼东南盆地天然气水合物的平面和剖面分布特征. 生物成因甲烷水合物分布于水深大于约600m的海底,稳定带最大厚度约314m;热成因天然气水合物分布于水深大于约450m的海区,稳定带最大厚度约410m. 盆地内天然气水合物远景总量约10×109m3,水合物天然气远景为1.6×1012m3.     

南海东北部内波特征——经验模态分解方法应用初探

利用地震海洋学方法研究海洋内波已成为海洋地球物理学家与物理海洋学家共同关注的前沿问题.本文尝试利用当今时频分析的新手段——希尔伯特-黄变换中的经验模态分解（EMD）方法对南海东北部地震数据处理获得的垂直位移分布数据进行分解,获得了一些有新意的结果.分解结果表明,南海东北部海盆上方区域的内波包含波长约1.2、2.5、4、12.5 km的组成成分,其中波长约1.2、2.5 km的内波在200~1050 m的深度范围内上、下各层的波动基本耦合;波长约4 km与12.5 km的内波以600~700 m的水层为分界,其上、下部分的内波相位差90°,指示低波数内波能量的斜向传播.这些研究表明,EMD方法在内波运动学特征的地震海洋学研宄方面有良好的应用前景.