The sedimentation rates in the Okinawa Trough during the Late Quaternary

On the basis of accelerator mass spectrometer radiocarbon （AMS ^14C） dating, sedimentation rates of 11 cores collected from the northern to southern Okinawa Trough are discussed. The sedimentation rates in the Okinawa Trough roughly range from 11 to 39cm/ka, and the average is 23.0cm/ka. China＇s continental matter is the main sediment source of the middle Okinawa Trough and has important contribution to the northern and southern Okinawa Trough. The sedimentation rates during the marine oxygen isotope （MIS） 2 are uniformly higher than those during MIS 1 in the northern and middle Okinawa Trough while they are on the contrary in the southern Okinawa Trough. Sedimentation rates in the Okinawa Trough can be one of the proxies of sediment source and an indicator of cooling events.     

Morphology and Late Quaternary sedimentation in the Gulf of Oman Basin

The morphology of the Gulf of Oman Basin, a 3,400 m deep oceanic basin between Oman and southern Pakistan and southern Iran, ranges from a convergent margin (Makran margin) along the north side, a passive type (Oman margin) along the south side, translation types along the basin's west (Zendan Fault-Oman Line) and east (Murray Ridge) sides and a narrow continental rise and a wide abyssal plain in the centre of the basin. Sediment input into the basin during the Late Quaternary has been mainly from the north as a result of the uplift of the Coast Makran Mountains in the Late Miocene-Pliocene. Today most of this detritrus is deposited on the shelf and upper continental slope and perched basins behind the fold/fault ridges on the lower slope. The presence of fans and channels on the continental rise on the north side of the basin indicate, however, that continental derived debris was, and possibly is, being transported to the deep-sea by turbidity currents via gaps in the ridges on the lower slope. In addition to land derived terrigenous sediments, the basin deposits also contain biogenic (organic matter and calcium carbonate), eolian detritus and hydrates and authigenic carbonates from the tectonic dewatering of the Makran accretionary wedge. The eolian sediment is carried into the Gulf of Oman Basin from Arabia and the Mesopotamia Valley by the northwesterly Shamal winds. This type of detritus was particularly abundant during the glacial arid periods 21,000–20,000 and 11,000 (Younger Dryas) years ago when exposure of the Persian (Arabian) Gulf increased the area of dust entrainment and shifted the position of the source of the eolian sediments closer to the basin.     

上海地区晚第四纪沉积孢粉与环境研究

通过对上海地区高桥G2孔晚第四纪地层中孢粉的研究,将高桥G2孔自下而上划分出了6个孢粉组合带,并结合临近的斜土路2号孔和人民广场钻孔的孢粉研究资料,恢复了该地区植被演替、气候波动的六个阶段,这种气候的波动不仅与世界性气候变化一致,而且其波动曲线与海平面变化曲线也是相吻合的。     

Late Quaternary siliciclastic/carbonate sedimentation model for the Capricorn Channel,southern Great Barrier Reef province,Australia

A model is presented for hemipelagic siliciclastic and carbonate sedimentation during the last glacial–interglacial cycle in the Capricorn Channel, southern Great Barrier Reef (GBR). Stable isotope ratios, grainsize, carbonate content and mineralogy were analysed for seven cores in a depth transect from 166 to 2892 m below sea level (mbsl). Results show variations in the flux of terrigenous, neritic and pelagic sediments to the continental slope over the last sea level cycle.During the glacial lowstand terrigenous sediment influenced all the cores down to 2000 mbsl. The percentages of quartz and feldspar in the cores decreased with water depth, while the percentage of clay increased. X-ray diffraction analysis of the glacial lowstand clay mineralogy suggests that the siliciclastic sediment was primarily sourced from the Fitzroy River, which debouched directly into the northwest sector of the Capricorn Channel at this time. The cores also show a decrease in pelagic calcite and an increase in aragonite and high magnesium calcite (HMC) during the glacial. The influx of HMC and aragonite is most likely from reworking of coral reefs exposed on the continental shelf during the glacial, and also from HMC ooids precipitated at the head of the Capricorn Channel at this time. Mass accumulation rates (MARs) are high (13.5 g cm^? 3 kyr^? 1) during the glacial and peak at ~ 20 g cm^? 3 kyr^? 1 in the early transgression (16–14 ka BP). MARs then decline with further sea level rise as the Fitzroy River mouth retreats from the edge of the continental shelf after 13.5 ka BP. MARs remain low (4 cm^? 3 kyr^? 1) throughout the Holocene highstand.Data for the Holocene highstand indicate there is a reduction in siliciclastic influx to the Capricorn Channel with little quartz and feldspar below 350 mbsl. However, fine-grained fluvial sediments, presumably from the Fitzroy River, were still accumulating on the mid slope down to 2000 mbsl. The proportion of pelagic calcite in the core tops increases with water depth, while HMC decreases, and is present only in trace amounts in cores below 1500 mbsl. The difference in the percentage of HMC in the deeper cores between the glacial and Holocene may reflect differences in supply or deepening of the HMC lysocline during the glacial.Sediment accumulation rates also vary between cores in the Capricorn Channel and do not show the expected exponential decrease with depth. This may be due to intermediate or deep water currents reworking the sediments. It is also possible that present bathymetry data are too sparse to detect the potential role that submarine channels may play in the distribution and accumulation of sediments.Comparison of the Capricorn Channel MARs with those for other mixed carbonate/siliciclastic provinces from the northeast margin of Australia indicates that peak MARs in the early transgression in the Capricorn Channel precede those from the central GBR and south of Fraser Island. The difference in the timing of the carbonate and siliciclastic MAR peaks along the northeast margin is primarily related to differences in the physiography and climate of the provinces. The only common trend in the MARs from the northeast margin of Australia is the near synchronicity of the carbonate and siliciclastic MAR peaks in individual sediment cores, which supports a coeval sedimentation model.     

Late Quaternary sedimentation within a submarine channel–levee system offshore Cap Timiris, Mauritania

Aeolian and fluvial sediment transport to the Atlantic Ocean offshore Mauritania were reconstructed based on grain-size distributions of the carbonate-free silt fraction of three marine sediment records of Cap Timiris Canyon to monitor the climatic evolution of present-day arid north-western Africa. During the late Pleistocene, predominantly coarse-grained particles, which are interpreted as windborne dust, characterise glacial dry climate conditions with a low sea level and extended sand seas that reach onto the exposed continental shelf off Mauritania. Subsequent particle fining and the abrupt decrease in terrigenous supply are attributed to humid climate conditions and dune stabilisation on the adjacent African continent with the onset of the Holocene humid period. Indications for an ancient drainage system, which was discharging fluvial mud offshore via Cap Timiris Canyon, are provided by the finest end member for early to mid Holocene times. However, in comparison to the Senegal and Niger River further south, the river system connecting Cap Timiris Canyon with the Mauritanian hinterland was starved during the late Holocene and is non-discharging under present-day arid climate conditions.     

晚第四纪朝鲜西海岸京畿湾金浦潮坪大型潮汐的演化

金浦潮坪位于京畿湾中部,在1980年开垦改造之前是坡度平缓的潮坪,西边被南北向主水道所限,该水道是汉江的主要支流水道之一,形状长直,最宽处1．5km,最深10m。树枝状的小潮流跟主水道连接。数十个岛屿分布于再生潮坪,导致岩基地形崎岖不平。而位于潮坪西部离岸的大量岛屿起到了保护潮坪不受离岸波浪侵蚀的作用。京畿湾中部的潮流在近地点高潮期达到10m,最大流速超过2．5m／s。波浪一般夏季小,台风期间除外;冬季风暴频繁之时规模巨大,一般超过2m。主潮道的悬浮沉积物浓度和盐度由于强烈的季风气候而表现出显著的季节性差异。     

Late Quaternary carbonate sedimentation at the Sierra Leone Rise (eastern equatorial Atlantic Ocean)

In the eastern equatorial Atlantic Ocean, changes in the concentration of carbonate in Late Quaternary sediments resulted from reduced production of carbonate in surface waters and increased dilution with non-carbonate sediments during glacial maxima. During glacial stages, production of carbonate in surface water (measured as its accumulation rate in shallow, undissolved cores) decreased by one half. The glacial accumulation rate of non-carbonate components increased 1.5 to 4 times over Holocene values; the greatest increases occurred in the deepest cores.

Carbonate dissolution during stages 2, 3 and 4 increased the proportion of foraminiferal fragments and decreased the accumulation rate of susceptible species in the deep sites. In shallow sites, slightly increased dissolution can be detected during stage 3 while greatly increased dissolution occurred during stage 4. Bathymetric profiles of foraminiferal fragmentation and accumulation document a shoaling of the foraminiferal lysocline by 1000 m during glacial isotopic stages. We present a mass balance model of sediment accumulation for carbonate and insoluble components and from this model we estimate the rate of downslope transport and dissolution of carbonate at the Sierra Leone Rise. Our results show that during stage 4 the rate of carbonate loss to dissolution was greater than the rate observed today or during other interglacial stages. The calculated rates of dissolution for stages 2 and 3 are not significantly different from those calculated for stage 1.     

Late Quaternary sediments on the outer shelf of the Korea Strait and their paleoceanographic implications

Sedimentological and micropaleontological characteristics of core sediments from the outer shelf of the Korea Strait, which connects the northern East China Sea and the East Sea (Sea of Japan), were investigated to elucidate the paleoceanographic environment, especially the timing of the Kuroshio inflow, since the last glacial maximum. The core sediments, containing continuous records of the last 15,000 years, are characterized by a relatively high mud content (more than 50%, on average) and well-developed tide-influenced sedimentary structures. Their mineralogy suggests that the material originated from the paleo-Nakdong River system, which extended across the shelf of the Korea Strait during low sea-level periods. Planktonic foraminifers reveal a series of well-defined changes in paleoceanographic conditions during the late Pleistocene–Holocene. Down-core variations in the abundance of four foraminiferal assemblages, i.e., cold, coastal, tropical–subtropical, and Kuroshio water groups comprising characteristic planktonic species, suggest the occurrence of a distinct paleoenvironmental change in the surface water at 7,000 years b.p., i.e., from 15,000 to 7,000 years b.p., the area was influenced by coastal waters whereas since ca. 7,000 years b.p., it has been under the influence of open-sea water related to the Kuroshio Current flow, associated with both higher temperature and higher salinity. In particular, Pulleniatina obliquiloculata increased markedly in abundance at this time, documenting the inflow of the Kuroshio into the study area. These data indicate that the coastal water stage terminated at ca. 7,000 years b.p. when the warm Kuroshio and its major branch, the Tsushima Current, began to flow into the East Sea, as is the case today. The intrusion of the Tsushima Current through the Korea Strait after ca. 7,000 years b.p. resulted in abrupt changes in sedimentation rates and a dramatic increase in abundance of the Kuroshio indicator species, P. obliquiloculata.     

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).     

Late Pliocene to Quaternary sedimentary facies and stratigraphy of shallow-water contourite deposits in the Hupo Basin,East Sea of Korea

Marine Geophysical Research - This study entails the characterization of the depositional environment of the Hupo Basin shelf. By means of sedimentary structure analysis, grain size, textures,...     

Quaternary hemipelagic sedimentation in the basins flanking the Solomon Islands volcanic arc

Quaternary sediments in the Woodlark Basin and New Georgia Sound, adjacent to the Solomon Islands volcanic arc, are hemipelagic. They consist of mixtures of clay minerals, calcareous plankton (foraminifera, coccoliths, and pteropods), and sand- and silt-sized volcanic debris. Variations in sediment composition are related primarily to distance from land (the source of volcanic components), water depth (because of the Aragonite and Calcite Compensation Depths), and bathymetric isolation. Much of the sedimentary debris is delivered to the basin by turbidity currents and other mass movements; little material is supplied by ash fall. Sedimentation rates appear to exceed 3 cm/1,000 years in New Georgia Sound, and range from 2 to 4.5 cm/1,000 years in the Woodlark Basin.     

Late Quaternary Evolution of Amvrakikos Gulf,Western Greece

Amvrakikos Gulf is a Neogene basin, formed during a late extensional tectonic phase within the Plio-Quaternary period. It is a semienclosed embayment, separated from the Ionian Sea by a shallow (< 10 m) channel. The analysis of 3.5-kHz seismic reflection profiles shows that, during the last (Würm) glacial period, the parts of the Gulf that lie at water depths >41 m (below present sea level) were a paleo-lake while the rest were exposed to subaerial erosion. Subsequent offshore depositional sequences accumulated at rates of 1.2–2.3 m/ka.     

辽东湾晚第四纪层序地层

通过对辽东湾高分辨率浅地层剖面声学地层与典型钻孔沉积地层的对比分析,揭示了研究区晚第四纪MIS5以来的地层层序。辽东湾高分辨率浅地层剖面自下而上划定的6个声学地层单元(SU₅、SU₄、SU₃、SU₂、SU₁²、SU₁¹)与钻孔岩芯划分的6个沉积地层单元(DU₅、DU₄、DU₃、DU₂、DU₁²、DU₁¹)具有良好的对应关系。分别与MIS4期、MIS2期低海面时期的沉积间断密切相关的两个层序界面R5、R3,将辽东湾识别出的地层单元自下而上划分为3个层序(SQ3、SQ2、SQ1)。其中SQ3仅识别出上部的海侵体系域与高水位体系域,对应MIS5期海平面相对较高时期的滨浅海相沉积(DU₅);SQ2自下而上由低水位体系域(MIS...     

Paleocurrents in the Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone during the Late Quaternary

Planktonic foraminiferal and ice-rafted debris count data, as well as the mean size of mineral particles of the 10–63 μm fraction (sortable silt, \(\overline {SS} \)) were used as a proxy for surface and near-bottom paleocurrent intensity variations. The data obtained support our hypothesis about turbiditic origin of the lower (80–370 cm) section of the studied AMK-4515 core. Stratigraphic subdivision of the upper section (0–80 cm) makes it possible to allocate two marine isotope stages (MIS) covering the last 27 ka. The main intervals of the North Atlantic Polar Front (PF) migrations were recorded: south of the modern PF position during early MIS 2 (24–27 ka) with PF presence in the study area during MIS 2 (20–24 ka); south of the study area during the last glacial maximum (18–20 ka). Influence of the near-bottom currents within the investigated interval led to beginning of the channel-related drift formation on the northern slope of the southern channel of the Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone. There is a weak relationship between intensity of near-bottom contour currents and long-term climatic cyclicity. However, intervals corresponding to Heinrich events coincide with decrease in bottom currents activity.     

Hydrodynamics and sedimentation induced by large-scale coastal developments in the Keum River Estuary, Korea

The macro-tidal Keum River Estuary located in the eastern Yellow Sea has been suffering siltation and morphological change since 1994. To understand the effects of the large-scale coastal developments on the sedimentation processes in the estuary, hydrodynamic and sedimentary data collected from 1985 to 2002 were analyzed and numerical experiments of hydrodynamics were performed. The sedimentation rate in the estuary increased by a factor of 1.9, from 3.5 × 10⁶ to 6.7 × 10⁶ m³ y⁻¹, after the construction of a dam in the upper reaches of the estuary in 1994. Large part of the estuary is veneered by the muddy sediments noticeably, which were rarely found before dam construction. Since then, siltation has concentrated in the upper estuary rather than the lower. The upstream transport and accumulation of fine-grained sediments is due to: (1) the change to flood-dominance in the main channel, i.e. the relative intensification of flood current and the flood-directed residual current; and (2) the decrease in transport capacity in the upper estuary, i.e. the marked decrease in current velocity, which was induced by dam construction. The former has resulted in the ebb-dominance of the Gaeya channel, a distributary in the north of the main channel. The tidal pumping of fine sediments was reinforced not by the freshwater/saltwater interaction but by the residual tidal circulation. The sediment fluxes observed in 2001–2002 demonstrate year-round net inflow both at the entrance of the jetties and at the Gaeya channel, which implies that the sediments delivered by the Keum River are entirely confined to the estuary, incapable of escaping to the sea. The net inward transport of fine sediments may accumulate pollutants adsorbed to or absorbed in the sediment grains in the estuary, thus deteriorating the benthic environment gradually and the water quality eventually.     

渤海地区晚第四纪环境演化与第四纪滨海相地下卤水的形成

由于气候变化和新构造运动,渤海曾发生多次海陆演化,从而形成了第四纪地下卤水。间冰期的海侵提供了形成地下卤水的水源,气候波动产生了海水浓缩的条件,而冰期海退过程中,陆源物质覆盖于海相沉积上,保存了地下卤水。对环境演化在“潮滩生卤”和“冰冻生卤”过程中重要作用的分析结果表明,在第四纪环境演变的过程中,两种生卤作用在地质时期卤水矿床形成中均具有重要意义,并且只要存在海水物源,就有可能形成地下卤水。     

一种简易的晚第四纪地层连续取心方法

在长江三角洲地区晚第四纪地层连续取心钻探工作中，通过选用大功率钻机以及在传统的单管单动取土器中塞入PVC塑料管的取土方法，在所钻进的65-91m深度内的4口取心井中，平均取心率达81．6％。岩心内部原生沉积层理清晰，扰动很小，可满足晚第四纪长江三角洲古环境演变研究的要求。     

南沙群岛海区晚第四纪碳酸盐沉积

本文研究了五个柱状沉积物的碳酸盐沉积。根据沉积物的陆源碎屑和生物骨屑ＣａＣＯ３沉积作用的特点，把本区沉积物分为五种沉积类；碳酸盐生物组成的门类较多，以有孔虫为主，其次为珊瑚，腹足类等；碳酸盐矿物以低镁方解石为主，还有高镁方解石和文石；与沉积物中ＣａＣＯ３有关的化学元素１０多种。这些元素和稀土元素的含量，比值等，是区分礁相，礁体过渡带和非礁相的标志。所有这些碳酸盐沉积作用的特点表明，区内存在着五种沉     

Identifying late Quaternary coastal deposits in Kyonggi Bay, Korea, by their geotechnical properties

Based on cone penetration tests with pore pressure measurements (CPTUs) and standard penetration tests (SPTs), the geotechnical properties of five lithostratigraphic units were determined during the construction of Incheon international airport on reclaimed macrotidal flats in Kyonggi Bay, Korea. Two late Pleistocene non-marine units (unit V and unit IV) display largest N values (cf. number of blows required to achieve a standard penetration), reflecting coarse-grained and overconsolidated sediments. Tidal channel and tidal flat facies (unit IIIb) consist of unweathered late Pleistocene tidal sand and mud. The tidal channel facies is characterized by upward-decreasing cone resistance (q _t) and sleeve friction (f _s) with negative pore pressures (u _bt), reflecting a fining-upward textural trend. The tidal flat facies, by contrast, is represented by uniformly low q _t and f _s values with high friction ratios (FRs), suggesting homogeneous muddy deposits. Two overconsolidated units, a weathered late Pleistocene tidal mud (unit IIIa) and an early Holocene organic-rich non-marine mud (unit II), are characterized by high q _t, f _s, FRs and N values, unit IIIa being much more consolidated than unit II. Holocene tidal sands and muds (unit I) show the smallest q _t and f _s values with positive u _bt. These are slightly more consolidated than the tidal flat facies of unit IIIb. Two unconformable boundaries (a sequence boundary and a transgressive surface) have also been identified on some CPTU and SPT profiles. The boundaries are indicated by gradual but sharp increases in q _t, f _s and N values with an abrupt drop of u _bt, which indicates the contact between two units showing contrasting rigidity. The regional pattern produced by the unconformable boundaries indicates the presence of late Pleistocene valleys which pass through the middle of study area. The location of the valleys seems to be controlled by the antecedent basement morphology.     

Complex sedimentation of the Holocene mud deposits in a ria-type coastal area,eastern Korea Strait

The innermost shelf of the eastern Korea Strait is a ria-type coastal sea comprising islands, intervening passageways and embayments. A detailed analysis of high-resolution (1−10 kHz) subbottom profiles and core sediments from this area reveals complicated depositional and distributional patterns of the Holocene mud deposits related to complex topography with varying supply of the adjacent Nakdong riverine sediments. Sediments from the Nakdong River were bifurcated around Gadeok Island, forming two proximal systems: Nakdong and western Gadeok systems. These proximal systems prograded offshore (southward) by active sediment supply from the Nakdong River in the early stage. Suspended sediments passing through the Nakdong system formed the distal (Gadeok Waterway and eastern Geoje) systems in the area between the northern Geoje and Gadeok islands. These distal systems show a northwestward (onshore) prograding tendency to Jinhae Bay, the biggest bay in the vicinity of the Nakdong estuary in which the Jinhae Bay system developed. In the late stage, a remarkable decrease of sediment supply from the Nakdong River has caused retrograding geometry of the two proximal systems. However, the most distal (Jinhae Bay) system has continuously prograded bayward due to the persistent supply of sediments resuspended by strong tidal currents from nearby distal (Gadeok Waterway and eastern Geoje) systems. These complex depositional features indicate that topography has an important influence on depositional developments of the Holocene mud deposits by controlling path and intensity of sediment dispersal and resuspension processes.