Crustal Thinning of the Northern Continental Margin of the South China Sea

Magnetic data suggest that the distribution of the oceanic crust in the northern South China Sea (SCS) may extend to about 21 °N and 118.5 °E. To examine the crustal features of the corresponding continent–ocean transition zone, we have studied the crustal structures of the northern continental margin of the SCS. We have also performed gravity modeling by using a simple four-layer crustal model to understand the geometry of the Moho surface and the crustal thicknesses beneath this transition zone. In general, we can distinguish the crustal structures of the study area into the continental crust, the thinned continental crust, and the oceanic crust. However, some volcanic intrusions or extrusions exist. Our results indicate the existence of oceanic crust in the northernmost SCS as observed by magnetic data. Accordingly, we have moved the continent–ocean boundary (COB) in the northeastern SCS from about 19 °N and 119.5 °E to 21 °N and 118.5 °E. Morphologically, the new COB is located along the base of the continental slope. The southeastward thinning of the continental crust in the study area is prominent. The average value of crustal thinning factor of the thinned continental crust zone is about 1.3–1.5. In the study region, the Moho depths generally vary from ca. 28 km to ca. 12 km and the crustal thicknesses vary from ca. 24 km to ca. 6 km; a regional maximum exists around the Dongsha Island. Our gravity modeling has shown that the oceanic crust in the northern SCS is slightly thicker than normal oceanic crust. This situation could be ascribed to the post-spreading volcanism or underplating in this region.     

Interstitial water chemistry of the inner continental shelf sediments off the gironde estuary

The interstitial water composition ( , alkalinity, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Sr²⁺, Na⁺, K⁺) and the cation exchange capacity (CEC) were determined for the muddy sediments of the continental shelf off the Gironde Estuary (France), in the area where the sediment represents the deposit of the muddy suspension of the river. In comparison with seawater concentrations, the pore waters below 10 cm depth, show depletions of and Ca²⁺ and below a 30 cm depth show depletions of Mg²⁺. Inversely, the upper 10 cm an enrichment of Ca²⁺ concentration, and an increase of K⁺ concentration to a 40 cm depth. High values of are observed at the top 4 cm. Alkalinity enrichment is observed along the length of the core. Applying the alkalinity models for the sediment below a 10 cm depth demonstrates generally that calculated alkalinities are higher than the measured ones. Ca²⁺ dissolution occurs at the first 10 cm and authigenic carbonate precipitation starts beneath that level. Mg²⁺ depletion is accompanied by bicarbonate loss. This proves that Mg²⁺ depletion is due to a Mg-silicate reaction. The result of the CEC does not confirm the Mg²⁺ uptake by clay minerals in exchangeable site, under reducing conditions. Diffusion and bioturbation play an important role in the pore water concentration at the top of the core.     

Intrusion of Kuroshio water onto the continental shelf of the East China Sea

As a fundamental study to evaluate the contribution of the Kuroshio to primary production in the East China Sea (ECS), we investigated the seasonal pattern of the intrusion from the Kuroshio onto the continental shelf of the ECS and the behavior of the intruded Kuroshio water, using the RIAM Ocean Model (RIAMOM). The total intruded volume transport across the 200m isobath line was evaluated as 2.74 Sv in winter and 2.47 Sv in summer, while the intruded transport below 80m was estimated to be 1.32 Sv in winter and 1.64 Sv in summer. Passive tracer experiments revealed that the main intrusion from the Kuroshio to the shelf area of the ECS, shallower than 80m, takes place through the lower layer northeast of Taiwan in summer, with a volume transport of 0.19 Sv. Comparative studies show several components affecting the intrusion of the Kuroshio across the 200 m isobath line. The Kuroshio water intruded less onto the shelf compared with a case without consideration of tide-induced bottom friction, especially northeast of Taiwan. The variations of the transport from the Taiwan Strait and the east of Taiwan have considerable effects on the intrusion of the Kuroshio onto the shelf.     

弧后盆地的形成与演化探讨：以东亚陆缘区为例

通过对弧后盆地大地构造体制的讨论，作者认为基属活化作用的产物根据地质，地球物理，地球化学等资料的分析，作者提出结论认为，由于东亚岛弧系岩石圈的均衡作用及海沟外侧冷却大洋岩石圈块体的下沉拖曳牵引等作用，使软流圈在岛弧系下方发生分异，这种分异作用带动东亚陆缘向东扩张，从而产生弧后的张开。     

A preliminary study of carbon system in the East China Sea

In the central part of the East China Sea, the activity of CO₂ in the surface water and total carbonate, pH and alkalinity in the water column were determined in winter and autumn of 1993. The activity of CO₂ in the continental shelf water was about 50 ppm lower than that of surface air. This decrease corresponds to the absorption of about 40 gC/m²/yr of atmospheric CO₂ in the coastal zone or 1 GtC/yr in the global continental shelf, if this rate is applicable to entire coastal seas. The normalized total carbonate contents were higher in the water near the coast and near the bottom. This increase toward the bottom may be due to the organic matter deposited on the bottom. This conclusion is supported by the distribution of pH. The normalized alkalinity distribution also showed higher values in the near-coast water, but in the surface water, indicating the supply of bicarbonate from river water. The residence time of the East China Sea water, including the Yellow Sea water, has been calculated to be about 0.8 yr from the excess alkalinity and the alkalinity input. Using this residence time and the excess carbonate, we can estimate that the amount of dissolved carbonate transported from the coastal zone to the oceanic basin is about 70 gC/m²/yr or 2 GtC/yr/area-of-global-continental-shelf. This also means that the rivers transport carbon to the oceans at a rate of 30 gC/m²/yr of the coastal sea or 0.8 GtC/yr/ area-of-global shelf, the carbon consisting of dissolved inorganic carbonate and terrestrial organic carbon decomposed on the continental shelf.     

南沙群岛西南陆架区条尾鲱鲤资源状况研究

根据2003年南沙群岛西南陆架区春秋两季调查资料,分析南沙群岛西南陆架区条尾鲱鲤的资源现状.结果表明,渔获率有明显的季节变动,秋季（1.76kg/h）高于春季（0.08kg/h）,春季密集分布于91～100m水深,秋季密集分布于71～80m水深.其群体组成也有季节差异,春季的平均体长、平均体重大于秋季,春季优势体长组为101～110mm,秋季优势体长组为91～100mm,渔获中不足1龄鱼占多数,其资源密度及现存资源量分别为12.02kg/km^2 和880.82t,现存资源量只有原始资源量的54.92%,该鱼种资源已接近衰退状态.文中并讨论合理利用该资源的措施.     

Hydrocarbon Potential of Pre-cenozoic Strata in the North Yellow Sea Basin

The North Yellow Sea Basin ( NYSB ), which was developed on the basement of North China (Huabei) continental block, is a typical continental Mesozoic Cenozoic sedimentary basin in the sea area. Its Mesozoic basin is a residual basin, below which there is probably a larger Paleozoic sedimentary basin. The North Yellow Sea Basin comprises four sags and three uplifts. Of them, the eastern sag is a Mesozoic Cenozoic sedimentary sag in NYSB and has the biggest sediment thickness; the current Korean drilling wells are concentrated in the eastern sag. This sag is comparatively rich in oil and gas resources and thus has a relatively good petroleum prospect in the sea. The central sag has also accommodated thick Mesozoic-Cenozoic sediments. The latest research results show that there are three series of hydrocarbon source rocks in the North Yellow Sea Basin, namely, black shales of the Paleogene, Jurassic and Cretaceous. The principal hydrocarbon source rocks in NYSB are the Mesozoic black shale. According to the drilling data of Korea, the black shales of the Paleogene, Jurassic and Cretaceous have all come up to the standards of good and mature source rocks. The NYSB owns an intact system of oil generation, reservoir and capping rocks that can help hydrocarbon to form in the basin and thus it has the great potential of oil and gas. The vertical distribution of the hydrocarbon resources is mainly considered to be in the Cretaceous and then in the Jurassic.     

Tidally incised valleys on tropical carbonate shelves: An example from the northern Great Barrier Reef, Australia

The formation of incised valleys on continental shelves is generally attributed to fluvial erosion under low sea level conditions. However, there are exceptions. A multibeam sonar survey at the northern end of Australia's Great Barrier Reef, adjacent to the southern edge of the Gulf of Papua, mapped a shelf valley system up to 220 m deep that extends for more than 90 km across the continental shelf. This is the deepest shelf valley yet found in the Great Barrier Reef and is well below the maximum depth of fluvial incision that could have occurred under a − 120 m, eustatic sea level low-stand, as what occurred on this margin during the last ice age. These valleys appear to have formed by a combination of reef growth and tidal current scour, probably in relation to a sea level at around 30–50 m below its present position.

Tidally incised depressions in the valley floor exhibit closed bathymetric contours at both ends. Valley floor sediments are mainly calcareous muddy, gravelly sand on the middle shelf, giving way to well-sorted, gravely sand containing a large relict fraction on the outer shelf. The valley extends between broad platform reefs and framework coral growth, which accumulated through the late Quaternary, coincides with tidal current scour to produce steep-sided (locally vertical) valley walls. The deepest segments of the valley were probably the sites of lakes during the last ice age, when Torres Strait formed an emergent land-bridge between Australia and Papua New Guinea. Numerical modeling predicts that the strongest tidal currents occur over the deepest, outer-shelf segment of the valley when sea level is about 40–50 m below its present position. These results are consistent with a Pleistocene age and relict origin of the valley.

Based on these observations, we propose a new conceptual model for the formation of tidally incised shelf valleys. Tidal erosion on meso- to macro-tidal, rimmed carbonate shelves is enhanced during sea level rise and fall when a tidal, hydraulic pressure gradient is established between the shelf-lagoon and the adjacent ocean basin. Tidal flows attain a maximum, and channel incision is greatest, when a large hydraulic pressure gradient coincides with small channel cross sections. Our tidal-incision model may explain the observation of other workers, that sediment is exported from the Great Barrier Reef shelf to the adjacent ocean basins during intermediate (rather than last glacial maximum) low-stand, sea level positions. The model may apply to other rimmed shelves, both modern and ancient.     

末次盛冰期以来渤、黄、东海陆架底质分布演变过程模拟研究

渤、黄、东海陆架底质的形成分布与末次盛冰期之后的海侵密切相关。末次盛冰期结束、海侵开始以来 ,潮流是渤、黄、东海陆架上的永久性主导作用应力。为从长期沉积动力演变过程的角度 ,探讨渤、黄、东海陆架底质形成分布的有关成因问题 ,利用数值模拟手段 ,再现了末次盛冰期以来 6个时期渤、黄、东海陆架潮流作用下海底的冲淤格局及底质分布。结果表明 ,扬子浅滩南侧东海外陆架的砂质沉积基本上是自 - 80 m海面以来形成的。扬子浅滩形成于 -5 2 m海面之后 ,至 - 3 0 m海面时已有一定规模 ,全新世最大海侵之后 ,逐渐形成现在规模的扬子浅滩。南黄海中部泥自 - 5 2 m海面时就已开始形成 ,- 3 0 m海面时范围很大 ,侵入北黄海 ,全新世最大海侵以来 ,逐渐调整到现在的范围。渤海中央泥、北黄海西部泥、浙闽岸外泥、辽东半岛西侧与北侧的砂质沉积、西朝鲜湾与江华湾中的砂质沉积以及苏北浅滩是自全新世最大海侵以来逐渐形成的。海州湾中砂质沉积形成的盛期在公元 8世纪之后。济洲岛西南泥、南黄海东部泥很可能分别形成于 - 3 0 m海面、- 5 2 m海面以来。全新世渤、黄、东海陆架底质分布的演变过程大致分为 2个阶段 :全新世最大海侵之前为渤、黄、东海陆架底质分布宏观格局的形成阶段 ;全新世最大海侵至今为渤