Middle and Late Tertiary Palaeogeography and Palaeoenvironment on the Northern Continental Margin of the South China Sea

Based essentially on research results of calcareous nannofossils, combined with some other microfossil da-ta and several secondary depositional breaks, this paper discusses the criteria of division and comparison of themiddle and late Tertiary marine sediments, palaeogeographical and palaeoenvironmental evolution andpalaeoclimates on the northern continental margin of the South China Sea, comprising the Tainan basin, PearlRiver Mouth basin. Southeast Hainan basin and Beibu Gulf basin. Study shows that the upper Oligocene toPliocene strata in the whole area consist essentially of marine sediments except in the Beibu Gulf basin. Theyinclude littoral. neritic and deltaic sediments as well as carbonate rock-bioherm limestone. The sea advancedfrom southeast to northwest. During the transgression there appeared three culminations coinciding to thestages of deposition of nannofossil zones NN4-5, NN11 and 13-15.

Middle and Late Tertiary Palaeogeography and Palaeoenvironment on the Northern Continental Margin of the South China Sea

Abstract Based essentially on research results of calcareous nannofossils, combined with some other microfossil data and several secondary depositional breaks, this paper discusses the criteria of division and comparison of the middle and late Tertiary marine sediments, palaeogeographical and palaeoenvironmental evolution and palaeoclimates on the northern continental margin of the South China Sea, comprising the Tainan basin, Pearl River Mouth basin, Southeast Hainan basin and Beibu Gulf basin. Study shows that the upper Oligocene to Pliocene strata in the whole area consist essentially of marine sediments except in the Beibu Gulf basin. They include littoral, neritic and deltaic sediments as well as carbonate rock-bioherm limestone. The sea advanced from southeast to northwest. During the transgression there appeared three culminations coinciding to the stages of deposition of nannofossil zones NN4-5, NN11 and 13-15.