LATE QUATERNARY SEISMIC SEQUENCES AND SEDIMENTATION ALONG THE COAST OFF TAISHAN, GUANGDONG, AS REVEALED BY HIGH RESOLUTION SEISMIC DATA

Seismic stratigraphic analysis of 150 km of high-resolution seismic profiles (GEO-PULSE and 3.5 kHz) obtained along the muddy coast off Taishan, Guangdong provided valuable information on the offshore Quaternary stratigraphy, tectonics, sedimentary evolution, and environmental and engineering geology of this area. The following late Quaternary stratigraphic sequences were mapped. (1) Pleistocene alluvial silty sand and shallow marine clay; (2) coarse fluvial channel sand; (3) nearshore and bay clayey sediments. The incision of fluvial channels occurred in two stages: dttring the Late Pleistocene and at the beginning of the Holocene. The Pleistocene fluvial channels have been filled by coarses and overlain by more than 10 m of late Pleistocene clay and 20 - 30 m of Holocene clay. The coastal area is dissected by two major fault systems: the first group strikes ENE-WSW and controls the evolution of the adjacent Quaternary basin, while the second one trends NNE-SSW. These fault systems must be taken into account in any coastal engineering considerations. In addition, both granitic and metamorphic basements were recognized.