The South China Sea Paleoceanography and Sedimentology

About this book

The South China Sea is the first synthesis of sedimentary geology and paleoceanography of the South China Sea on the basis of extensive industrial explorations and scientific expeditions culminated with the ODP Leg 184. It provides up-to-date knowledge about the history of this largest marginal sea in the West Pacific, deep-sea records of evolution and variations of the East Asian monsoon, and geological backgrounds of the off-shore petroleum basins. With its focus on paleoceanography and sedimentology, The South China Sea provides a comprehensive all-round view of the marginal sea basin, from modern oceanography to sequence stratigraphy.

Contents

1. INTRODUCTION: Pinxian Wang and Qianyu Li

2. OCEANOGRAPHICAL AND GEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND: Pinxian Wang and Qianyu Li
Bathymetry and geomorphology
Oceanography
Tectonic history and sedimentary basins

3. STRATIGRAPHY AND SEA LEVEL CHANGES: Qianyu Li, Guangfa Zhong and Jun Tian
Lithostratigraphic overview
Biostratigraphic framework
Isotopic and astronomical stratigraphy
Stratigraphy of major shelf and slope basins
Regional sea level changes
Summary of South China Sea stratigraphy

4. SEDIMENTOLOGY: Zhifei Liu , Wei Huang , Jianru Li , Pinxian wang, Rujian Wang, Kefu Yu, Jianxin Zhao
Surface deposition patterns
Terrigenous deposition
Biogenic deposition
Coral reefs
Volcanic deposition
Estimation of deposit mass since the Oligocene

5. UPPER WATER STRUCTURE AND PALEO-MONSOON: Zhimin Jian, Jun Tian, Xiangjun Sun
Sea surface temperature history
Thermocline depth history
Vegetation history in deep-sea record
Monsoon history
Summary

6. DEEP WATERS AND OCEANIC CONNECTION: Quanhong Zhao, Qianyu Li, Zhimin Jian
Modern deep waters and their faunal features
Late Quaternary deep-water faunas and stable isotopes
Neogene and Oligocene deep-water benthic faunas from ODP Leg 184 sites
Deep water evolution: evidence from carbonate preservation and isotopes
Oceanic connection
Summary

7. BIOGEOCHEMISTRY AND THE CARBON RESERVOIR: Meixun Zhao, Pinxian Wang, Jun Tian, Jianru Li
Productivity and nutrient dynamics in the modern South China Sea
Paleoproductivity reconstrction of the South China Sea Carbon reservoir changes

8. HISTORY OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA - SYNTHESIS: Pinxian Wang and Qianyu Li
Evolution of the SCS
Basin Evolution of the East Asian Monsoon
Evolution of continent-ocean interactions

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Biography

Pinxian Wang was born in Shanghai in 1936. He graduated from the Moscow State University in 1960, majoring in paleontology, and was Alexander von Humboldt Fellow in 1981-82 in Kiel, Germany. He is now Professor at the Tongji University, where he was Director of the Department of Marine Geology and the Laboratory of Marine Geology for years. His research activities are mainly devoted to paleoceanography and micropaleontology in the Western Pacific and paleo-monsoon studies in East Asia, especially in the South China Sea. He was co-chief scientist of the Ocean Drilling Program Leg 184 to the South China Sea in 1999 and the Marco Polo Cruise to the South China Sea in 2005. He has promoted China's involvement in international deep-sea programs and founded the series of "Asian Marine Geology Conferences". He is Member of the Chinese Academy of Science, Honorary Fellow of the Geological Society London, AAAS Fellow,and Milutin Milankovic Medalist of EGU in 2007.