Episodic accretion and metamorphism of Jurassic accretionary complex based on biostratigraphy and K-Ar geochronology in the western part of the Mino-Tanba Belt, Southwest Japan

Abstract The low grade metamorphic Jurassic accretionary complex in the western part of the Mino-Tanba Belt, Southwest Japan, is a chaotic sedimentary complex which consists of argillaceous matrices with allochthonous blocks of chert, greenstone, siliceous mudstone, terrigenous sandstone and mudstone. The complex is divided into three distinct geologic units, Units I, II and III, with a tectonic boundary (thrust) between them, forming a pile-nappe structure. They have different features for lithologies, fossil age, metamorphic condition and K-Ar age. Microfossil researches revealed that their timings of accretion were in the early Early Jurassic ( ca 195 Ma) for Unit III, in the early Middle Jurassic ( ca 175 Ma) for Unit II and in the latest Late Jurassic (ca 147 Ma) for Unit I. On the other hand, K-Ar age determinations of white mica separated from pelitic rocks of the three units clarified that the subsequent subduction-related metamorphism was 23 million years after the accretion of each unit. These results strongly suggest that the accretionary and metamorphic process had taken place episodically with an interval of 20 to 28 million years during Mesozoic time in the western part of the Mino-Tanba Belt, Southwest Japan.     

佳木斯地块与松嫩地块俯冲碰撞的深反射地震剖面证据

佳木斯地块和松嫩地块是东北地区两个十分重要的地质构造单元,由于二者之间发育一套含有蓝片岩的俯冲增生杂岩-黑龙江杂岩(原称黑龙江群), 其地质构造意义长期为人们所关注.巴彦—桦南深反射地震剖面揭示,佳木斯地块与松嫩地块之间存在明显向西俯冲的深反射信息,以壳内和幔内向西倾伏的楔状反射区为特征.壳内楔状反射区东与浅表层出露的黑龙江杂岩相连,向西倾伏延深至莫霍面,是俯冲增生杂岩在地壳深部的反映;幔内楔状反射区东起小兴安岭之下的莫霍面,向西倾伏延深至松辽盆地东缘,尖灭深度约78 km,与多种方法得出的该区现今的岩石圈厚度(75~80 km)基本一致.这一证据充分说明佳木斯地块的岩石圈地幔向西俯冲到松嫩地块岩石圈地幔之下.     

A deep section of accretionary complex: Susunai Complex in Sakhalin Island, Northwest Pacific Margin

Abstract A deep section of accretionary complex, the metamorphosed Susunai Complex, is observed on Sakhalin Is., Russia. High pressure part of pumpellyite-actinolite facies metavolcanics, metacherts and metapelites are well exposed and constitute a tectonic pile preserving primary structures related to underplating of the oceanic crust. Three stages of deformation, D₁ through D₃, suggest successive deformation during subduction, underplating and exhumation of the complex. Oceanic material in the complex is more abundant than other well documented ancient accretionary complexes (e.g. the Shimanto Belt in southwest Japan and the Ghost Rocks Formation in Alaska), which were shallowly underplated. At Susunai, deep down-stepping of a décollément has scraped off the upper part of the oceanic crust, primarily the pillowed basalt horizon. This down-stepping results from crustal weakening as overpressured water is released from the fractured oceanic crust during metamorphism.     

Recognition of an Early Triassic accretionary complex in the Nedamo Belt of the Kitakami Massif,Northeast Japan: New evidence for correlation with Southwest Japan

The Kitakami Massif of the Tohoku district, Northeast Japan, consists mainly of the South Kitakami Belt (Silurian–Cretaceous forearc shallow-marine sediments, granitoids, and forearc ophiolite) and the North Kitakami Belt (a Jurassic accretionary complex). The Nedamo Belt (a Carboniferous accretionary complex) occurs as a small unit between those two belts. An accretionary unit in the Nedamo Belt is lithologically divided into the Early Carboniferous Tsunatori Unit and the age-unknown Takinosawa Unit. In order to constrain the accretionary age of the Takinosawa Unit, detrital zircon U–Pb dating was conducted. The new data revealed that the youngest cluster ages from sandstone and tuffaceous rock are 257–248 Ma and 288–281 Ma, respectively. The Early Triassic depositional age of the sandstone may correspond to a period of intense magmatic activity in the eastern margin of the paleo-Asian continent. A 30–40 my interval between the youngest cluster ages of the sandstone and the tuffaceous rock can be explained by the absence of syn-sedimentary zircon in the tuffaceous rock. The new detrital zircon data suggest that the Takinosawa Unit can be distinguished as an Early Triassic accretionary complex distinct from the Early Carboniferous Tsunatori Unit. This recognition establishes a long-duration northeastward younging polarity of accretionary units, from the Carboniferous to Early Cretaceous, in the northern Kitakami Massif. Lithological features and detrital zircon spectra suggest that the Early Triassic Takinosawa Unit in the Nedamo Belt is comparable with the Hisone and Shingai units in the Kurosegawa Belt in Shikoku. The existence of this Early Triassic accretionary complex strongly supports a pre-Jurassic geotectonic correlation and similarity between Southwest and Northeast Japan.     

The subduction of the Paleo‐Pacific Plate to the Jiamusi Block: Evidence from the Early Mesozoic sedimentary rocks of the eastern Jiamusi Block

In order to provide references of the subduction process of the Paleo‐Pacific Plate beneath the Jiamusi Block, this paper studied the clastic rocks of the Nanshuangyashan Formation using modal analysis of sandstones, mudstone elements geochemistry, and detrital zircon U–Pb dating. These results suggest the maximum depositional age of the Nanshuangyashan Formation was between the Norian and Rhaetian (206.8 ±4.6 Ma, mean standard weighted deviation (MSWD) = 0.17). Whole‐rock geochemistry of mudstone indicates that source rocks of the Nanshuangyashan Formation were primarily felsic igneous rocks and quartzose sedimentary rocks, which were mainly derived from the stable continental block and a magmatic arc. Detrital zircon analysis showed the Nanshuangyashan Formation samples recorded four main age groups: 229–204 Ma, 284–254 Ma, 524–489 Ma and 930–885 Ma, and the provenances were attributed to the Jiamusi Block and a Late Triassic magmatic arc near the study area. Furthermore, the eastern Jiamusi Block was a backarc basin, affected by the subduction of the Paleo‐Pacific Plate in the Late Triassic, but the magmatic arc related to the subduction near the study area finally died out due to tectonic changes and stratigraphic erosion.     

A new Eocene catostomid (Teleostei: Cypriniformes) from northeastern China and early divergence of Catostomidae

A new Eocene catostomid genus and species, Plesiomyxocyprinus arratiae, is described from Huadian, Jilin Province, northeastern China. The materials include a nearly complete skeleton, dozens of pharyngeal bones with teeth, and a number of disarticulated bones. The new articulated specimen is large-sized and deep-bodied, with an estimated standard length of ca. 300 mm and body depth of 156 mm or about half of its standard length. The assignment of the fish to the Catostomidae is based on its falciform pharyngeal bone with one row of numerous (more than 50) compressed teeth, and the bone is much smaller than in cyprinids, especially given the size of the fish. The new fish distinguishes itself from all known catostomids (both extinct and extant) in its long anal fin with four unbranched and 17–18 branched rays, and its extremely short caudal peduncle that is only about one fourth of its depth. Plesiomyxocyprinus arratiae resembles the Eocene-Oligocene transpacific-distributed Amyzon in many general skeletal characters. However, it shows a few characters uniquely shared with the Recent catostomid Myxocyprinus asiaticus. Those include a very long dorsal fin with about 50 branched fin rays, the end of dorsal fin rays being close to the caudal fin base, and anal rays stretching posteriorly beyond the base of caudal fin. It is the first fossil catostomid that shows a close relationship to the endemic Myxocyprinus now living in the Yangtze River and Minjiang River, China. The discovery of Plesiomyxocyprinus arratiae, along with two previously described possible catostomid genera Jianghanichthys and Vasnetzovia, may indicate that the divergence of the Catostomidae started much earlier, in the middle Eocene or earlier, on the western side of the Pacific than on its eastern side. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40432003, J0630965), Cypriniformes Tree of Life under the U.S. National Science Foundation to R. Mayden (Grant No. EF0431326), and Ecocarp Project (European Commission, INCO-DEV Programme) (Grant No. ICA4-CT-2001- 10024)     

The Early Jurassic magmatism in northern Guangdong Province,southeastern China: Constraints from SHRIMP zircon U-Pb dating of Xialan complex

This paper reports SHRIMP zircon U-Pb ages of 196±2 Ma for granite, and 195±1 Ma for gabbro from the Xialan complex in the Meizhou area, northern Guangdong Province. These results shed new light on the calm stage of magmatic activity in southeastern China during 200-180 Ma, and revealed that the back-arc extension induced by the subduction of the western Pacific plate may have begun at 195 Ma at least. Field observation on the fresh outcrops allows us to recognize some features formed by magma mixing. A par...     

Origin of the early Cenozoic belt boundary thrust and Izanagi–Pacific ridge subduction in the western Pacific margin

The belt boundary thrust within the Cretaceous–Neogene accretionary complex of the Shimanto Belt, southwestern Japan, extends for more than ~ 1 000 km along the Japanese islands. A common understanding of the origin of the thrust is that it is an out of sequence thrust as a result of continuous accretion since the late Cretaceous and there is a kinematic reason for its maintaining a critically tapered wedge. The timing of the accretion gap and thrusting, however, coincides with the collision of the Paleocene–early Eocene Izanagi–Pacific spreading ridges with the trench along the western Pacific margin, which has been recently re‐hypothesized as younger than the previous assumption with respect to the Kula‐Pacific ridge subduction during the late Cretaceous. The ridge subduction hypothesis provides a consistent explanation for the cessation of magmatic activity along the continental margin and the presence of an unconformity in the forearc basin. This is not only the case in southwestern Japan, but also along the more northern Asian margin in Hokkaido, Sakhalin, and Sikhote‐Alin. This Paleocene–early Eocene ridge subduction hypothesis is also consistent with recently acquired tomographic images beneath the Asian continent. The timing of the Izanagi–Pacific ridge subduction along the western Pacific margin allows for a revision of the classic hypothesis of a great reorganization of the Pacific Plate motion between ~ 47 Ma and 42 Ma, illustrated by the bend in the Hawaii–Emperor chain, because of the change in subduction torque balance and the Oligocene–Miocene back arc spreading after the ridge subduction in the western Pacific margin.     

Discovery of agglutinated foraminifers from the Longzhaogou Group in eastern Heilongjiang Province

The low diversity agglutinated foraminifers are recovered from the Qihulin Formation of the Longzhaogou Group in eastern Heilongjiang, China. The foraminiferal fauna consists of 9 species of 5 genera. The common members are Cribrostomoides nonioninoides (Reuss), Haplophragmoides concavus (Chapman), H. gigas minor Nauss. Although the diagnostic zonal taxa are absent in the agglutinated fauna, according to the global stratigraphic distribution of the above-mentioned species, and the associated Pseudohaploceras ammonite fauna, the foraminiferal fauna may be of a Barremian-Aptian (Early Cretaceous) age.     

黑龙江省小南山遗址受热历史的考古磁学证据

考古磁学技术为考古遗址的受热历史研究提供了重要的定性/定量分析方法.黑龙江省东北部的小南山是中国东北地区重要的史前遗址之一,该遗址记录的最早人类活动可以追溯到更新世末期.遗址揭露了距今约16 ka以来序列性的人类生活遗物及遗迹,包括大量的石制品和少量的陶片,以及与当时人类生活方式相关的疑似用火遗迹.本文对小南山遗址内疑似用火区及周边的散土样品进行了一系列岩石磁学测试,包括低频磁化率、逐步磁化率随温度变化曲线（χ-T）、磁滞回线、等温剩磁获得曲线、反向场退磁曲线和一阶反转曲线（FORC）等,旨在通过磁学指标为遗址受热温度、受热范围等信息提供定量化证据.实验结果显示,采样区域内两处疑似用火区（ZB、ZC）磁化率普遍偏高、逐步χ-T曲线在400~600℃之间表现出较好的热稳定性、饱和等温剩磁偏强、FORC信号偏强;而表层烧土被清理后的疑似用火区（ZA）和非疑似用火区磁化率普遍偏低、逐步χ-T曲线显示样品在加热过程中逐渐发生热变化、饱和等温剩磁和FORC信号偏弱.这些磁学特征意味着ZB、ZC两处疑似用火区曾受过加热烘烤,而从ZA采集到的样品和疑似用火区外的样品则可能没有受热.逐步χ-T曲线结果显示疑似用火区高磁化率样品在400~600℃之间表现出较好的热稳定性,而当温度达到700℃时则发生明显的热转化,指示样品历史最高受热温度应该在600~700℃之间.

     

Intraplate seismicity in the western Bohemian Massif (central Europe): A possible correlation with a paleoplate junction

Locations of the Eger Rift, Cheb Basin, Quaternary volcanoes, crustal earthquake swarms and exhalation centers of CO₂ and ³He of mantle origin correlate with the tectonic fabric of the mantle lithosphere modelled from seismic anisotropy. We suggest that positions of the seismic and volcanic phenomena, as well as of the Cenozoic sedimentary basins, correlate with a “triple junction” of three mantle lithospheres distinguished by different orientations of their tectonic fabric consistent within each unit. The three mantle domains most probably belong to the originally separated microcontinents – the Saxothuringian, Teplá-Barrandian and Moldanubian – assembled during the Variscan orogeny. Cenozoic extension reactivated the junction and locally thinned the crust and mantle lithosphere. The rigid part of the crust, characterized by the presence of earthquake foci, decoupled near the junction from the mantle probably during the Variscan. The boundaries (transitions) of three mantle domains provided open pathways for Quaternary volcanism and the ascent of ³He- and CO₂-rich fluids released from the asthenosphere. The deepest earthquakes, interpreted as an upper limit of the brittle–ductile transition in the crust, are shallower above the junction of the mantle blocks (at about 12 km) than above the more stable Saxothuringian mantle lithosphere (at about 20 km), probably due to a higher heat flow and presence of fluids.     

Tectonic accretion of a subducted intraoceanic remnant arc in Cretaceous Hokkaido, Japan, and implications for evolution of the Pacific northwest

Abstract   An accretionary complex, which contains fragments of a remnant island arc, was newly recognized in the Cretaceous accretionary terranes in Hokkaido, Japan. It consists of volcanics, volcanic conglomerate, intermediate to ultramafic intrusive rocks with island-arc affinity including boninitic rocks, accompanied by chert and deformed terrigenous turbidites. Compared with the results of modern oceanic surveys, the preserved sequence from island-arc volcanics to chert, via reworked volcanics, is indicative of intraoceanic remnant arc, because the sequence suggests an inactive arc isolated within a pelagic environment before its accretion. The age of a subducting oceanic crust can be discontinuous before and after a remnant-arc subduction, resulting in abrupt changes in accretion style and metamorphism, as seen in Cretaceous Hokkaido. Subduction of such an intraoceanic remnant arc suggests that the subducted oceanic plate in the Cretaceous was not an extensive oceanic plate like the Izanagi and/or Kula Plates as previously believed by many authors, but a marginal basin plate having an arc–back-arc system like the present-day Philippine Sea Plate.     

The geological structure background and the crustal structure in the northeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau

IntroductionThestudyingareaislocatedwithin32(~40(N,100(~108(E,consistingofseveralgeotectonicsubdivisions.Thisarea,locatedonthenortheasternmarginoftheuprisingregionoftheQinghai-Tibetanplateau,isaveryactiveregionofnewtectonicmovement.Moreover,afewoflargedeepfaultsdistributethere,mostofwhicharenotonlyboundaryfaultsofimportantgeotectonicdivisions,butalsoactivefaultscontrollingcontemporarystrongseismicactivities.AsshowninFigure1,manystrongearthquakeshaveoccurredinthisresearchareasuchassouthernTi…     

Normal faults in an accretionary complex formed at trench-trench-ridge triple junction, as an indicator of angle between the trench and subducted ridge

Abstract Normal faults parallel to the trend of an active ridge are formed in the accretionary prism at trench-trench-ridge triple junction, due to continuous spreading of the subducted ridge. Normal faults are observed in the Nabae and Mugi sub-belts, accretionary zones formed by ridge subduction in the Shimanto Belt. Igneous and sedimentary dykes intrude through the previous normal faults. Using these fault and dyke data, intermediate principal axis of stress relating to the normal faulting is determined, and is fitted to the trend of the subducted ridge. Normal faults formed by ridge subduction are useful for plate reconstruction.     

Metamorphism and metamorphic K–Ar ages of the Mesozoic accretionary complex in Northland, New Zealand

Abstract A southwest dipping Mesozoic accretionary complex, which consists of tectonically imbricated turbiditic mudstone and sandstone, hemipelagic siliceous mudstone, and bedded cherts and basaltic rocks of pelagic origin, is exposed in northern North Island, New Zealand. Interpillow limestone is sometimes contained in the basaltic rocks. The grade of subduction‐related metamorphism increases from northeast to southwest, indicating an inverted metamorphic gradient dip. Three metamorphic facies are recognized largely on the basis of mineral parageneses in sedimentary and basaltic rocks: zeolite, prehnite‐pumpellyite and pumpellyite‐actinolite. From the apparent interplanar spacing d₀₀₂ data for carbonaceous material, which range from 3.642 to 3.564 Å, the highest grade of metamorphism is considered to have attained only the lowermost grade of the pumpellyite‐actinolite facies for which the highest temperature may be approximately 300°C. Metamorphic white mica K–Ar ages are reported for magnetic separates and <2 µm hydraulic elutriation separates from 27 pelitic and semipelitic samples. The age data obtained from elutriation separates are approximately 8 m.y. younger, on average, than those from magnetic separates. The age difference is attributed to the possible admixture of nonequilibrated detrital white mica in the magnetic separates, and the age of the elutriation separates is considered to be the age of metamorphism. If the concept, based on fossil evidence, of the subdivision of the Northland accretionary complex into north and south units is accepted, then the peak age of metamorphism in the north unit is likely to be 180–130 Ma; that is, earliest Middle Jurassic to early Early Cretaceous, whereas that in the south unit is 150–130 Ma; that is, late Late Jurassic to early Early Cretaceous. The age cluster for the north unit correlates with that of the Chrystalls Beach–Taieri Mouth section (uncertain terrane), while the age cluster for the south unit is older than that of the Younger Torlesse Subterrane in the Wellington area, and may be comparable with that of the Nelson and Marlborough areas (Caples and Waipapa terranes).     

Rapid evolution of the Eocene accretionary complex (Hyuga Group) of the Shimanto terrane in southeastern Kyushu, southwestern Japan

Abstract   Detailed geologic examination of the Eocene accretionary complex (Hyuga Group) of the Shimanto terrane in southeastern Kyushu revealed that the oceanic plate was composed of Paleocene to Lower Eocene mudstone and siliceous mudstone, lower Middle Eocene red mudstone, and mid-Middle Eocene trench-fill turbidite with siltstone breccia, successively overlying the pre-Eocene oceanic plate. This oceanic plate sequence was overlain by Upper Eocene siltstone. Deposition of the lower Middle Eocene red mudstone was accompanied by basalt flows and it is interbedded with continental felsic tuff, which indicates that the basalt and red mudstone were deposited near the trench just before accretion. The Hyuga Group has very similar geological structure to that of the chert–clastic complexes found in the Jurassic accretionary complexes in Japan: that is, a decollement fault formed in the middle of an oceanic plate sequence, and an imbricate structure formed only in the upper part of the sequence. Thus, it appears that the Hyuga Group was formed by the same accretionary process as the Jurassic accretionary complexes. No accretion occurred before the Middle Eocene, and the rapid accretion of the Hyuga Group was commenced by the supply of coarse terrigenous sediments in the mid-Middle Eocene, when the direction of movement of the Pacific Plate changed. The pre-Eocene oceanic basement and lower Middle Eocene volcanic activity suggest that the oceanic plate partly preserved in the Hyuga Group was very similar to the northern part of the present West Philippine Sea Plate.     

Two-stage model of incorporation of seamount and oceanic blocks into sedimentary melange: Geochemical and biostratigraphic constraints in Jurassic Chichibu accretionary complex, Shikoku, Japan

Abstract The significance of timing and formation of mélange in accretionary prisms, particularly concerning basaltic and related rocks and pelagic sediments, is exemplified in the Sawadani area of the Jurassic Chichibu accretionary complex in Shikoku, southwest Japan. Major and trace element geochemistry of the basaltic and related rocks indicates that all are of a hot-spot origin which produced a seamount. Most of the rocks have a trend of differentiation from an alkalic parental magma. The time relationship between the blocks and matrices of the mélange deduced from radiolarian fossil evidence and macro- to microscopic characteristics of contacts between different lithologies indicates two stages of mixing of materials in the seafloor. The first mixing occurred on the flank of the seamount in the pelagic environments in the Late Permian, and the second occurred on the trench floor or in the accretionary prism after the Early Jurassic. These two stages show respectively the geological phenomena of a seamount within the Izanagi-Kula plate and its incorporation into the Asian continental margin.     

Carbon isotope stratigraphy of Torinosu‐type limestone in the western Paleo‐Pacific and its implication to paleoceanography in the Late Jurassic and earliest Cretaceous

Carbon isotope stratigraphy of the Late Jurassic and earliest Cretaceous was revealed from Torinosu‐type limestone, which was deposited in a shallow‐marine setting in the western Paleo‐Pacific, in Japan. Two sections were examined; the Nakanosawa section of the late Kimmeridgian to early Tithonian age (Fukushima Prefecture, Northeast Japan), and the Furuichi section of the late Kimmeridgian to early Berriasian age (Ehime Prefecture, Southwest Japan). The age‐model was established using Sr isotope ratio and fossil occurrence. The limestone samples have a low Mn/Sr ratio (mostly <0.5) and lack a distinct correlation between δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O, indicating a low degree of diagenetic alteration. Our composite δ¹³C profile from the two limestone sections shows three stratigraphic correlation points that can be correlated with the profiles of relevant ages from the Alpine Tethyan region: a large‐amplitude fluctuation (the lower upper Kimmeridgian, ～152 Ma), a positive anomaly (above the Kimmeridgian/Tithonian boundary, ～150 Ma), and a negative anomaly (the upper lower Tithonian, ～148 Ma). In addition, we found that δ¹³C values of the Torinosu‐type limestone are ～1‰ lower than the Tethyan values in the late Kimmeridgian. This inter‐regional difference in δ¹³C values is likely to have resulted from a higher productivity and/or an organic burial in the Tethyan region. The difference gradually reduces and disappears in the late Tithonian, where the Tethyan and our δ¹³C records show similar stable values of 1.5–2.0‰. This isotopic homogenization is probably due to changes in the continental distribution and the global ocean circulation, which propagated the ¹³C‐depleted signature from the larger Paleo‐Pacific to the smaller Tethys Ocean during this time.     

Timing of dextral oblique subduction along the eastern margin of the Asian continent in the Late Cretaceous: Evidence from the accretionary complex of the Shimanto Belt in the Kii Peninsula, Southwest Japan

Paleomagnetic studies and hotspot track analyses show that the Kula Plate was subducted dextrally with respect to the Eurasian Plate from the Coniacian to Campanian. However, geological evidence for dextral subduction of the Kula Plate has not been reported from Southwest Japan. Studies of the Coniacian to lower Campanian Miyama Formation of the Shimanto Belt reveal that the mélange fabrics show a dextral sense of shear both at outcrop and microscopic scales. In addition, thrust systems at map-scale also show dextral shearing. Restored shear directions in the mélange indicate dextral oblique subduction of an oceanic plate. This indicates that the Kula Plate subducted dextrally along the eastern margin of Asia during the Coniacian to early Campanian. Combinations with other published kinematic and age constraints suggest that Southwest Japan experienced a change from sinistral to dextral and back to sinistral shear between 89–76 Ma. This history is compatible with global-scale plate reconstructions and places good constraints on the timing of plate boundary interaction with the Cretaceous East Asian margin.     

Current measurements and spectral analyses in the upper 450 m and deep layers of the northeastern South China Sea

On the basis of the current measurements from the moored Long Ranger ADCP in the upper 450 m layer and the deep current measurements at 2000 and 2300 m from the moored cur-rent meters with the time series data of about 7 months at the mooring station in the northeastern South China Sea, the spectral analyses and calculation have been made. The major results are as follows: (ⅰ) From the progressive vector diagrams of the observed daily currents at the water lev-els from 50 m to 400 m, its temporal variation of velocity rotated counterclockwise in most of the observing time. This agrees basically with the result from the qualitative analysis of the sea surface height data, which was obtained from TOPEX/ERS-2 altimeter data by CCAR. The daily and monthly average velocities are both the largest in November, next in October and minimum in Au-gust. (ⅱ) At the 2000 and 2300 m levels, the daily and monthly average velocities are both the largest in January, next in September and minimum in August. From the seasonal change of cur-rents, the current velocity is the strongest in winter (January-March), next in autumn, and weak in summer. (ⅲ) There exists the variation of tidal current with the change of depth. In the upper layer, the height of diurnal peak is higher than that of semidiurnal peak. However, the semidiurnal peak is higher than the diurnal peak at the levels from 200 m to 400 m. In the layers above 450 m the clockwise component is dominant in their fluctuations. In the layers below 1500 m the diurnal peak is again higher than the semidiurnal peak. (ⅳ) There is the prominent periodic fluctuation of more than two months in the layer from 50 m to 2300 m. The period of this prominent peak is 75 d and its fluctuation is counterclockwise in the upper 450 m layers, and is 68 d and 69 d at the depths of 2000 and 2300 m, respectively, and the counterclockwise component is dominant in their fluctua-tions. (ⅴ) There are the variations of periods fluctuating with the change of depth in the upper 450 m layers. For example, when f＞0, there are the prominent fluctuations of about 22 d and 15 d pe-riods at the 50 and 100 m levels. However, there are no such periods at the layer from 200 m to 400 m, where only the fluctuation of about 13 d period occurs. (ⅵ) There are the fluctuations with periods of more than one month, 23 d and 15 d at the 2000 m and 2300 m levels. (ⅶ) In the layer from 50 m to 2300 m there are the following prominent peaks: ⅰ) the fluctuation in the period range of about 4-8 d, which occurs in the weather process; ⅱ) the fluctuation with inertial period, the fluctuation is clockwise; and ⅲ) the fluctuations with short periods of about 8 h and 6 h. (ⅷ) From the cross spectral estimates between two time series, it is shown that there are significant coherence peaks with the periods of more than two months (T = 68.3 d) and more than one month between the two time series of currents at 2000 m and 2300 m depths, and also those with periods of about half a month (15.5 d), 2 d and so on between two time series of currents at 100 m and 2300 m depths.