Geomorphology and tectonic movement of the sea floor,northwest off Kyushu,Japan

As a result of the sea bottom survey of continental shelf northwest off Kyushu including Tsushima, Iki and Goto Islands which has been carried out by the Hydrographic Department of Japan, the following features of the area are revealed. Topographically, three groups of shelf channels, trending NE-SW, N-S and NW-SE respectively, are discovered and several small banks are found. Sand wave-like shapes are also seen in a seafloor about 200 m deep in the vicinity of Tsushima Straits. Geologically, remarkable tectonic lines characterized by faults and folding axes are confirmed and named Tsushima, Iki, Hirato and Goto Tectonic Lines. Several tectonic provinces can be defined by these tectonic lines. Each province consists of small geological blocks formed by indivisual tectonic movement such as tilting, uplifting and sinking. Such differential tectonic movement is often seen on the continental shelves around active island arc. In this area, these tectonics might be caused by activity of the Ryukyu Arc. This area may thus be a metastable portion existing between the northwestern Kyushu and the Asiatic continental block. The present submarine topography is probably closely related to these tectonics in addition to the eustatic sea-level changes in Quaternary age.