Quaternary high-resolution opal record and its paleoproductivity implication at ODP Site 1143,southern South China Sea

The correlation of opal content and MAR with oxygen isotopic records of benthonic foraminifera at Site 1143, southern South China Sea indicates that,since about 900 ka,the increasing opal content and MAR during the interglacial periods is inferred to reflect the bigher surface productivity ,for the intensified summer monsoon during the interglacial periods would result in the enhanced upwelling and nutrient supply,Time-sequence spectral analyses of oxygen isotopic record ,opal content and MAR at intervals of 0-900 ka reveal that the changes of surface productivity were dominantly forced by the variations of the earth orbital cycles.     

Late Neogene radiolarian absence event in the southern South China Sea and its paleoceanographic implication

Down-core variations of radiolarians at ODP Site 1143 in the southern South China Sea （SCS） are presented for the last 12 Myr. The fluctuations of radiolarian abundances since the Late Miocene can be divided into three stages： a high abundance stage at 12-5.96 Myr, a radiolarian absent stage at 5.96-3.30 Myr and a gradual increasing stage after 3.30 Myr. The three stages correspond to the forming and vicissitudes of the Western Pacific Warm Pool （WPWP） and the Eastern Asian Summer Monsoon （EASM）. The radiolarian absence event （RAE） was also absent of diatom and occurred nearly simultaneously with the closures of the Panama Isthmus and the Indonesian seaway, which probably caused the reorganization of oceanic circulation systems. Accompanied this circulation reorganization was the weakening of the WPWP and the EASM, which probably led to a weakened upwelling in the southern SCS. In addition dissolved silica （Dsi） content in surface seawater might be very low during 5.96-3.30 Myr due to the ＂biogenic bloom＂ event, which consumed a large amount of Dsi in the surface seawater. All these factors together might lead to a great decrease of siliceous production in the southern SCS and consequently caused the RAE. Moreover, the dissolution of siliceous skeletons might also influence the abundance of radiolarians.     

南海珠江深水扇系统的沉积构造背景分析

从深水扇系统的观点出发,主要基于对最近所采集的穿越整个白云凹陷的700余公里长电缆深反射(深达14 s)地震资料综合解释,结合南海大洋钻探的成果,对南海珠江深水扇系统沉积的构造背景特征进行了综合分析.研究发现:白云主凹在早中新世-中中新世期间(即大约距今25～10 Ma)是一个因坳陷期盆地基底的持续沉降及其相关断裂活动而形成的南海北部陆缘上的斜坡内盆地;白云主凹这个"斜坡内盆地"有别于世界上其它位于被动大陆边缘背景中(如西非近海、巴西近海、墨西哥湾)的斜坡内盆地;海平面变化、沉积物通量变化、构造活动等地质营力都在斜坡内盆地的构造背景上对南海珠江深水扇系统在不同时期产生了不同程度的重要影响.简言之,斜坡内盆地成就了南海珠江深水扇系统.这为以后进一步全面深入研究南海珠江深水扇系统的形成机制、演化过程、结构特征等有着重要意义.     

新生代早期南海北部水系演变

 珠江在早渐新世仅是涉及华南沿海地区的小河；到晚渐新世，向西延伸到云贵高原前缘地带；到中新世，现代珠江流域格局初步形成。证据显示，南海北部还发育过一条源自南海西部隆起区的大型水系-昆莺琼古河，后淹没在南海之中，但在南海的沉积充填过程中扮演了重要角色。南海北部水系及沉积环境的重建，对于深刻认识南海新生代早期古地理特征以及该地区的油气勘探均具有重要意义。     

珠江口盆地琼海凸起断裂调整聚集成藏模式

针对油气分布规律认识问题,运用油气地球化学、构造解析方法,开展了中新世构造运动背景下珠江口盆地 琼海凸起中新统珠江组油藏的调整、次生油藏形成机制的研究。以地层界面T41（珠江组一段IV 油组顶）为界的珠江 组上、下部油藏,分别具有“晚期聚集”和“晚期断裂调整”特征,下部油藏原油密度高、黏度大;上部油藏原油密度低、 黏度小。珠江组上、下部油藏油气来源相同。中中新世的NWW- SEE 走向雁列式断裂体系沟通了珠江组上、下部油 藏,起到了调整改造下部油藏和向上部运移油气的双重作用。提出了“晚期断裂调整、晚期聚集”油气成藏模式,即由 于晚期断裂的垂向沟通,早期形成的珠江组下部油藏中局部油气沿断裂向上部运聚,调整后的下部油藏、晚期聚集的 上部油藏垂向叠置,形成“下重上轻”、多油水系统的油田,对研究区油气勘探开发具有重要指导意义。     

Depositional architecture and developing settings of large-scale incised valley and submarine gravity flow systems in the Yinggehai and Qiongdongnan basins, South China Sea

In the Ying-Qiong basins in the South China Sea developed a set of giant inner shelf slope and submarine gravity flow deposits in the Ying-Huang formations since the Late Miocene. These deposits can be classified into 9 sequences in which slope slump-debris flow, slope fan and particularly, the large-scale axial basin-floor incised valley fills have been recognized. They were distributed in a distinctive pattern attributed to tectonic control. The development of shelf slopes and abyssal plains in the basins was related to the last episode of rapid subsidence and a large amount of sediment inputs. Large-scale basin-floor incised valleys, formed during the late Miocene and Pliocene, indicate several major sea level falls that occurred in the South China Sea.     

Detrital zircon of 4.1 Ga in South China

One hadean zircon from the Cambrian sandstone in the southern part of South China has a U-Pb age of 4107±29 Ma with ε Hf(t) value similar to that of the homochronous depleted mantle and Hf model age of 4102±21 Ma.This demonstrates the existence of hadean crustal remnant in South China.A close match between the U-Pb age and Hf model age with the highly position ε Hf(t) value indicates the growth and immediate reworking of juvenile crust from the depleted mantle at ca 4.1 Ga.The prominent "Pan-African" and Grenville zircons derived from the exotic sources were also found in the sample,which indicates a linking between South China and Gondwana in the Cambrian period.The southern part of South China has complex histories of crustal growth and tectonic evolution.     

南海生物礁碳酸盐台地演化

 南海碳酸盐台地分布自早中新世开始发育，至中中新世达到鼎盛，再到晚中新世大量台地被淹没而逐渐消亡。从分布看，南海碳酸盐台地具有南早北晚、东早西晚的发育规律；从堆积速率看，中中新统速率最大。控制这些台地的诞生、发育演化和消亡的因素十分复杂，可能包括构造活动、相对海平面的变化、陆源碎屑物质输入变化、古海洋环境变化。     

Neogene eolian deposits within the West Qinling Mountains: Climatic and tectonic implications

The Qinling Mountains constitute a key climate barrier between southern and northern China.Our recent investigations revealed widely spread eolian deposits of Neogene age mantling the piedmont highlands of the intermountain basins within West Qinling.Micro-mammalian fossils dated a 150.2 m section (NL-VI) near Xihe for the late Miocene to Pliocene (～10-4 Ma).Soil micromorphology,grain-size and geochemical analysis consistently define typical loess-soil alternations for the upper (0-66 m) and lower (98-150.2...     

Benthic foraminiferal fauna turnover at 2.1 Ma in the northern South China Sea

Quantitative analysis of benthic foraminifera from ODP Site 1146 in the northern South China Sea (SCS) shows that abundance of Bulimina alazanensis, sometimes up to about 90%, decreased gradually since 3.2 Ma, especially at 2.1 Ma. Abundance of other benthic foraminiferal species, Globobulimina sub-globosa and Cibicidoides wuellerstorfi, increased after 2.1 Ma. Comparison with changes in oxygen and carbon isotopes of planktonic and benthic foraminifera shows that high abundance values of B. alazanensis corresponded with lower values of oxygen isotope, but for carbon isotope, high values of the species were consistent with heavier carbon isotope of benthic foraminifera and lighter carbon isotope of planktonic foraminifera, respectively, and vice versa. Considering factors such as uplift of Bashi Strait, expansion of the North Hemisphere Glaciation, strengthening of East Asian winter mon-soon and variations in oxygen and carbon isotope of foraminifera, changes of B. alazanensis in ODP Site 1146 suggest that the source of deep water masses of the northern South China Sea changed from the warm Pacific deep water with high oxygen content to Pacific Intermediate water with low oxygen content at 2.1 Ma. In addition, the strengthened East Asian winter monsoon resulted in increased pri-mary productivity, high nutrient and suboxic bottom water. Variations in species of B. alazanensis seemed to be unable to tolerate environmental stress induced by deep water masses and productivity changes.     

Zircon SHRIMP U-Pb dating for olivine gabbro at Wangmuguan in the Beihuaiyang zone and its geological significance

In the Neoproterozoic, a large-scale magmatic activ- ity took place in the northern margin of the South China Block, with ages in a range of 700―800 Ma[1―4]). A systematic zircon U-Pb dating for bimodal metaigneous rocks in the Dabie-Sulu orogen yields ages of 758 ± 15 Ma[5], typifying rift magmatism along the northern margin of the South China Block during the middle Neoproterozoic. In addition, there is a widespread oc- currence of volcanic tuff interlayers around 635 Ma with the se…     

Cenozoic stratigraphy of Taiwan: Window into rifting, stratigraphy and paleoceanography of South China Sea

Shallow marine sequences of the northern South China Sea (SCS) are uplifted and exposed by plate convergence in the Taiwan mountain belt. These deposits provide detailed geological information about the rifting event, stratigraphy, sedimentology, paleoclimate and paleoceanography of the shallow SCS to compare with what are recorded in the ODP 1148 deep-sea core. Seismic surveys and marine micropalentological studies show that Eocene sequences in the offshore Taiwan Strait and onland Taiwan mountain belt are all deposited in rifting basins and are covered unconformably by the Late Oligocene-Neogene post-rifting strata. Between syn-rifting and post-rifting sequences, there is a regional break-up unconformity throughout the island. Early Oligocene and Late Eocene strata are missing along the break-up unconformity equivalent to the T7 unconformity in the Pearl River Mouth Basin off south China. This may suggest that the SCS oceanic crust could have initiated between 33 and 39 Ma. Neither obvious stratigraphic gap nor slumping features are found in the Oligocene-Miocene transition interval of Taiwan. This observation highly contrasts with what has been documented from the ODP 1148 deep-sea core. This suggests that the stratigraphic gap and slumping features could only be recorded in the SCS deep sea region, but not in the shallow shelf near Taiwan. Compared to the Middle Miocene paleoceanographic re-organization events in the SCS deep sea, the geological history of the Taiwan shallow sequence shows changes of in sedimentation and faunal composition. Due to the Antarctic glacial expansion at~14 Ma, Middle to late Miocene strata of the Western Foothills show progressive regression sedimentations associated with a decrease of benthic foraminif-eral abundance and a sharp faunal turnover event. Many Early-Middle Miocene endemic benthic foraminifers were extinct in 14-13 Ma and new benthic foraminifers of the Kuroshio Current fauna appeared from 10.2 Ma, comparable with new occurrence of Modern benthic foraminifers at 9 Ma in the Java Sea area. This reveals that the Western Boundary Kuroshio Current in the North Pacific could initiate from 10-9 Ma due to closures of the Indo-Pacific seaways by convergent tectonics between the Australian Continent and the Indonesian Arc in 12-8 Ma. Subduction of the SCS oceanic lithosphere since the Middle Miocene resulted in formation of the Hengchun Ridge accretionary prism and the North Luzon Arc. Occurrence of these two bathymetric highs ( 2400 m) since the Middle Miocene and closures of the inter-arc passages in the North Luzon arc in the last 3.5 Ma would control the water exchanges between the West Pacific and the deep SCS. Accordingly, the tectonic evolution in the Central Range-Hengchun Peninsula accretionary prism and the arc-forearc Coastal Range not only control directly the route for water exchanges between the West Pacific and the SCS, but also indirectly shows a great influence on the geochemistry of deep SCS waters. The latter is best shown by much negative carbon isotope values of benthic foraminifers in the ODP 1148 deep-sea core than the West Pacific records in the last 14 Ma.     

Deep sea pollen record during 12－1.6 Ma from the southern South China Sea and its response to envi-ronmental change

Based on deep-sea pollen results (512-76 m) from ODP Site 1143 in the southern South China Sea (SCS),the climate and vegetation evolution sequence on the surrounding islands and the exposed continental shelf are discussed. The pollen records show that the pollen influx was quite low before 8.15 Ma and increased dramatically afterwards. The influx changes can be ascribed,on one side,to tectonics deformations around the southern SCS resulting in rapid uplift of islands and subsequent increase of the sediment rates and pollen influx and on the other side to climate cooling and monsoon enhancement. Around 2.63 Ma was another obvious boundary,the increasing of pollen and spores influx since this time was mainly related to global climate cooling. Spectrum analysis of pollen influx values shows that 2 Ma,0.67 Ma,and 0.19-0.17 Ma cycles existed during 12-3.0 Ma,while 0.1 Ma and 46.9 ka cycles existed during 3.0-2.0 Ma.     

南黄海表层沉积物中生源要素的分布规律及其环境意义

【目的】研究南黄海表层沉积物中生源要素的分布规律及其影响因素。【方法】通过测定南黄海82个站位表层沉积物样品中生源要素的含量及表层沉积物的平均粒径,分析研究区表层沉积物中生源要素和沉积物粒径的分布特征,并从表层沉积物中有机质来源、沉积物粒度、水动力作用和环境等因素探讨其对生源要素分布的影响。【结果】南黄海表层沉积物中生源要素总有机碳(TOC)、总氮(TN)及总磷(TP)的含量与平均粒径存在显著的相关关系,近岸沉积物粒度较大,对应生源要素的含量较低,在南黄海中部海区的沉积物粒度较细,各生源要素的含量较高。【结论】表层沉积物的粒度是影响生源要素含量分布的主要因素,即粒度越细,表层沉积物中生源要素含量越高。同时,有机质来源和水动力作用在一定程度上也影响和控制着表层沉积物粒度及生源要素的分布。生源要素TP分别与TOC、TN之间相对较弱的相关关系和近岸河口等地生源要素的高值表明,可能存在其他外部环境因素也会对其含量造成影响。     

Pleistocene precession forcing of the upper ocean structure variations of the southern South China Sea

The precession plays a dominant role in driving the tropical monsoon variations. Our high resolution, millennial scale marine isotope records from ODP Site 1143 in the southern South China Sea (SCS) present the detailed history of the upper ocean structure variations over the past 1.56 Ma on glacial/interglacial timescale. The cross spectral analyses between the Earth's orbital variations and the isotopic differences reveal a high coherency between the East-Asian-monsoon-related thermocline and nutricline variations of the SCS and the precession. The variations of monsoon-related isotopic difference between species also demonstrate periodicities of 11-, 12- and 14- thousand years near semi-precession which originates in the tropics, highlighting the importance of the precession in driving the east Asian monsoon changes.     

暖池区1.53 Ma以来上层海水变化的颗石藻证据

对位于西太平洋暖池区核心的大洋钻探计划(ODP)807站1.53Ma以来深海沉积样品进行了颗石藻化石分析,通过Florisphaeraprofunda数量百分比讨论了营养跃层深度变化的趋势,并计算了初级生产力.结果表明1.53Ma以来暖池核心区海水营养跃层经历了明显变化:从1.53~0.9Ma,营养跃层深度逐渐变浅;自0.9Ma起营养跃层开始变深并保持到0.48Ma;0.48~0.28Ma之间是营养跃层深度明显变浅的一个时期,在这以后营养跃层逐渐变深.根据颗石藻得出的海水营养跃层变化与初级生产力变化基本一致,也与根据浮游有孔虫转换函数得出的温跃层深度变化趋势基本一致.对比ODP807站和南海ODP1143站F.profunda数量百分比和初级生产力变化曲线,两站在0.9Ma以前变化的趋势相反,而0.9Ma以后基本一致.说明0.9Ma以前暖池核心地区与边缘区上层海水的变化有差异,而0.9Ma以后两者则趋同.     

南海深海盆的沉积充填

 依据大洋钻探井及地震剖面资料，定量确定南海同扩张期和后扩张期深海盆沉积充填差异及沉积物来源变化。研究显示，南海深海盆自渐新世（32 Ma）开始形成，随着南海二次扩张海盆范围逐渐扩大，海盆内主要充填火山碎屑角砾岩及火山灰，碳酸盐岩、超微化石软泥，泥质粘土、粉砂质粘土、泥岩及粉细砂岩。深海盆充填主要沉积物为晚中新世（11.6Ma）以来的陆源碎屑沉积，丰富陆源碎屑的供给与南海闭合过程中同期区域构造事件（如青藏高原快速隆升、菲律宾板块俯冲）密切相关，也与晚中新世以来东亚季风增强以及源区强烈的风化剥蚀有关。     

华南春旱特征及其与水汽输送的关系

利用1979-2005年华南47个基准站降水资料及由NCAR/NCEP II再分析资料计算所得的水汽输送通量资料,对华南春季降水特征及其与水汽输送的关系进行研究,结果表明:华南春季降水可以110.5°E为界划分为两个区域,以东区域为华南I区,以西区域为华南II区。I区降水具有显著的下降趋势,即干旱趋势显著;而II区降水下降趋势要弱得多,未超过信度检验。此外,I区降水在1994年发生突变,由多雨期突然跃变到干旱期。华南春季水汽主要来源于南海和西太平洋,并经中南半岛转向输送到华南,当南海中北部的偏南水汽输送偏弱(强)时,I区降水偏少(多),I区偏旱(涝),当南海西南部-中南半岛南部的偏南水汽输送偏弱(强)时,II区降水偏少(多),II区偏旱(涝)。     

南海北部陆缘黏土矿物组合特征与地质意义

采用沉积矿物分析方法对南海北部九口探井渐新世—中新世沉积物进行系统的黏土矿物分析.结果表明:南海北部沉积物黏土矿物组成随时间及空间呈现规律性变化,黏土矿物伊/蒙转化深度具有自北向南逐步变浅的规律,与地温梯度升高变化趋势基本一致,这种黏土矿物伊/蒙转化的变化规律反映了南海北部洋陆过渡地壳减薄,莫霍面抬升,热流值升高的趋势.通过黏土矿物组合演变特征与热流变化趋势的相关关系,可以预测区域性温度场变化规律,加深对南海北部洋陆过渡地壳厚度变化的认识.     

Resolving the 'opal paradox' in the Southern Ocean

In the Southern Ocean, high accumulation rates of opal--which forms by precipitation from silica-bearing solutions--have been found in the sediment in spite of low production rates of biogenic silica and carbon in the overlying surface waters. This so-called 'opal paradox' is generally attributed to a higher efficiency of opal preservation in the Southern Ocean than elsewhere. Here we report biogenic silica production rates, opal rain rates in the water column and opal sediment burial rates for the Indian Ocean sector of the Southern Ocean, which show that the assumed opal paradox is a result of underestimated opal production rates and overestimated opal accumulation rates. Our data thus demonstrate that the overall preservation efficiency of biogenic opal in this region is substantially lower than previously thought, and that it lies within a factor of two of the global mean. The comparison of our revised opal preservation efficiencies for the Southern Ocean with existing values from the equatorial Pacific Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean shows that spatial differences in preservation efficiencies are not the primary reason for the differences in sedimentary opal accumulation. The reconciliation of surface production rates and sedimentary accumulation rates may enable the use of biogenic opal in the reconstruction of palaeo-productivity when the factors that affect the Si/C ratio are better understood.