Xuefa Shi

Modern sedimentary environments and dynamic depositional systems in the southern Yellow Sea

Based on analyses of more than 600 surface sediment samples together with large amounts of previous sedimentologic and hydrologic data, the characteristics of modern sedimentary environments and dynamic depositional systems in the southern Yellow Sea (SYS) are expounded, and the controversial formation mechanism of muddy sediments is also discussed. The southern Yellow Sea shelf can be divided into low-energy sedimentary environment and high-energy sedimentary environment; the lowenergy sedimentary environment can be further divided into cyclonic and anticyclonic ones, and the high-energy environment is subdivided into high-energy depositional and eroded environments. In the shelf low-energy environments, there developed muddy depositional system. In the central part of the southern Yellow Sea, there deposited the cold eddy sediments under the actions of a meso-scale cyclonic eddy (cold eddy), and in the southeast of the southern Yellow Sea, an anticyclonic eddy muddy depositional system (warm eddy sediment) was formed. These two types of sediments showed evident differences in grain size, sedimentation rate, sediment thickness and mineralogical characteristics. The high-energy environments were covered with sandy sediments on seabed; they appeared mainly in the west, south and northeast of the southern Yellow Sea. In the high-energy eroded environment, large amounts of sandstone gravels were distributed on seabed. In the high-energy depositional environment, the originally deposited fine materials (including clay and fine silt) were gradually re-suspended and then transported to a low-energy area to deposit again. In this paper, the sedimentation model of cyclonic and anticyclonic types of muddy sediments is established, and a systematic interpretation for the formation cause of muddy depositional systems in the southern Yellow Sea is given.

Trend analysis of sediment grain size and sedimentary process in the central South Yellow Sea

With the method of trend analysis of sediment grain size, the sediment transport trend of the fine-grained sediments area in the central South Yellow Sea was studied. The results demonstrated that there is a sedimentation center around the point of 123.4° E, 35.1° N, and the sediments outside the center are transported to it. The patterns of sediment transportation and deposition in the Yellow Sea should be controlled by cyclonic circulation (including the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass) and cold water gyre. The study also showed that the method of trend analysis of sediment grain size has prospective utilization in the fine-grained sediment deposited area on large-scale continental shelf.

Petrologic perspectives on tectonic evolution of a nascent basin (Okinawa Trough) behind Ryukyu Arc: A review

Okinawa Trough is a back-arc, initial marginal sea basin, located behind the Ryukyu Arc-Trench System. The formation and evolution of the Okinawa Trough is intimately related to the subduction process of the Philippine Sea Plate beneath the Eurasian Plate since the late Miocene. The tectonic evolution of the trough is similar to other active back-arcs, such as the Mariana Trough and southern Lau Basin, all of which are experiencing the initial rifting and subsequent spreading process. This study reviews all petrologic and geochemical data of mafic volcanic lavas from the Okinawa Trough, Ryukyu Arc, and Philippine Sea Plate, combined with geophysical data to indicate the relationship between the subduction sources (input) and arc or back-arc magmas (output) in the Philippine Sea Plate-Ryukyu Arc-Okinawa Trough system (PROS). The results obtained showed that several components were variably involved in the petrogenesis of the Okinawa Trough lavas: sub-continental lithospheric mantle underlying the Eurasian Plate, Indian mid-oceanic ridge basalt (MORB)-type mantle, and Pacific MORB-type mantle. The addition of shallow aqueous fluids and deep hydrous melts from subducted components with the characteristics of Indian MORB-type mantle into the mantle source of lavas variably modifies the primitive mantle wedge beneath the Ryukyu and subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) beneath the Okinawa Trough. In the northeastern end of the trough and arc, instead of Indian MORB-type mantle, Pacific MORB-type mantle dominates the magma source. Along the strike of the Ryukyu Arc and Okinawa Trough, the systematic variations in trace element ratios and isotopic compositions reflect the first-order effect of variable subduction input on the magma source. In general, petrologic data, combined with geophysical data, imply that the Okinawa Trough is experiencing the “seafloor spreading” process in the southwest segment, “rift propagation” process in the middle segment, and “crustal extension” process in the northeast segment, and a nascent ocean basin occurs in the southwest segment.

Distribution of major and trace elements in surface sediments of Hangzhou Bay in China

The Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer was used to analyze sediment samples collected from the Hangzhou Bay to determine major and trace elemental concentrations. Based on these concentrations, the study area can be classified into three geochemical provinces. Province I covers the northern Hangzhou Bay area and contains high concentrations of Al2O3, Fe2O3, MgO, Na2O, K2O, MnO, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, V, Co and Zn. Province III is located in the western Hangzhou Bay, near the Qiantang River mouth, and contains high concentrations of SiO2, Na2O, P2O5, TiO2, Cr, Sr, Zr. Province II is located in the middle and eastern Hangzhou Bay, with the medium concentrations of major and trace elements. The results also demonstrate that the grain size is the dominating factor controlling the spatial variations of elemental concentrations, and the Changjiang River (Yangtze River) and Qiantang River sediments play an important role in the distribution of these elements. Anthropogenic impact on heavy metal concentrations (especially Cr, Sr and Zr) can be detected in the surface sediments near the Qiantang River mouth.

Sources and transportation of suspended matter and sediment in the southern Yellow Sea: Evidence from stable carbon isotopes

The concentrations of total suspended matter (TSM) and the compositions of organic stable carbon isotopes of TSM and bottom sediments were analyzed to study the sources of TSM and sediments and the transportation processes. For this study, 284 TSM samples and 64 sediment ones taken from 67 stations along 7 transects and in 5 layers were collected in the southern Yellow Sea on the cruise in May, 1998. The main sediment transportation pattern in the southern Yellow Sea was obtained by analyzing the distribution characteristics of TSM concentration and particulate organic carbon δ13C values. It was confirmed from the pattern that the bottom layer plays a more important role than the surface one in the transportation processes of terrigenous material to the central deep-water area of the southern Yellow Sea. The Yellow Sea circulation is an important control factor in determining the sediment transportation pattern in the southern Yellow Sea. The carbon isotope signals of sedimentary organic matter confirmed that the main material in sediments with high sedimentation rate in the Shandong subaqueous delta originated from the modern Yellow River. The terrigenous sediments in the deep-water area of the southern Yellow Sea are mainly from the abandoned Yellow River and the modern Yellow River, and a small portion of them are from the modern Yangtze material. The amount of terrigenous material from Korean Peninsula and its influence range are relatively limited. The conclusions derived from TSM and stable carbon isotopes were further confirmed by another independent material source tracer-PAHs.

Chapter 21 A review of sedimentation since the Last Glacial Maximum on the continental shelf of eastern China

Abstract The contiguous continental shelf of the Bohai, Yellow and East China seas has a total area of about 0.75×106 km2 and a width of over 600 km. The basement is tectonically stable and the accumulated thickness of Quaternary sediment is up to 500 m. During the post-glacial period, the epicontinental shelf received a large influx of fluvial sediments with complex fluvial–marine interactions. The river-dominated shelf sedimentation is characterized by two types of terrigenous sediment source-to-sink transport processes represented by the two mega-rivers, Changjiang (Yangtze River) and Huanghe (Yellow River), and the small mountainous rivers in Taiwan Island, in total contributing about 10% of the worlds total river sediment load. Mud patches and belts, and tidal sand ridges were well developed on the shelf during the post-glacial period. These muds are generally interpreted as eddy sedimentation formed after the highest post-glacial transgression, while the tidal sand ridges with several formation stages developed under variable oceanic regimes. The changes in monsoon climate-induced river flux, sea level and oceanic circulation primarily controlled the stratigraphic framework and sedimentary facies on the shelf during the late Quaternary. Nevertheless, many aspects of sedimentary processes and river–sea interactions at different spatial and temporal scales require more investigation.

Magnetostratigraphy of a greigite-bearing core from the South Yellow Sea: Implications for remagnetization and sedimentation

Sediments from the continental shelf are sensitive to sea level, climatic changes, and local tectonic history. In this study, we carried out a high-resolution magnetostratigraphic investigation on the longest core (NHH01, 125.64 m) recovered from the South Yellow Sea (SYS). An abnormal interval dominated by negative inclinations was discovered by applying alternating field demagnetization (AFD) on samples from a greigite-bearing layer (44.90–51.80 m). In contrast, the inclinations of most greigite-bearing samples changed from negative to positive when heated to ~360°C. This strongly indicates that this inclination anomaly revealed by the AFD alone is not a true negative subchron. After neglecting the effects of greigite-bearing layers, the straightforward correlation of the interpreted magnetostratigraphy defines the Matuyama-Brunhes boundary (781 ka) and the Jaramillo top (990 ka) at 68.64 m and 101.54 m, respectively. The linearly extrapolated basal age of the core is ~1.10 Ma. In addition, several short-lived inclination anomalies can be tentatively assigned to magnetic excursions, which indicates that the sedimentation could be continuous even at the millennial time scale at depth intervals bracketing these fast geomagnetic events. Moreover, the excellent correspondence between clay content variations of the core and the marine oxygen isotope record indicates the potential of clay content as a paleoclimatic proxy in the studied region in the past ~1 Ma. In brief, our study provides not only a robust age model in the SYS but also a methodological guide for paleomagnetic studies in continental shelf region.

Assessing metal toxicity in sediments using the equilibrium partitioning model and empirical sediment quality guidelines: A case study in the nearshore zone of the Bohai Sea, China

Surface sediments were collected from five nearshore (wastewater discharges, aquaculture facilities and a seaport) sites in Bohai Bay and Laizhou Bay, China. The equilibrium partitioning (EqP) model and empirical sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) were applied to assess the potential metal toxicity in the collected sediments. The results show that, based on the EqP model, 35% of stations exhibited potential metal toxicity. Several metals (Cu, Ni and Cr) exceeded the empirical SQGs (9-93% of the time), however these guidelines may not be suitable for use in the Bohai Sea owing to the background concentrations. The EqP model is a more useful method for assessing potential metal toxicity in Bohai Sea sediment than the empirical SQGs. Additionally, we have provided new understanding about methods for assessing sediment metal toxicity in the Bohai Sea that may be useful in other coastal areas in China.

Geochemistry of rare earth elements in cobalt-rich crusts from the Mid-Pacific M seamount

Rare earth elements (RFEs) and major elements of 25 cobalt-rich crusts obtained from different depths of Mid-Pacific M seamount were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometer and gravimetric method. The results showed that they were hydrogenous crusts with average Sigma REE content of 2084.69 mu g/g and the light REE (LREE)/heavy REE (HREE) ratio of 4.84. The shale-normalized PEE patterns showed positive Ce anomalies. The total content of strictly trivalent REEs increased with water depth. The Ce content and LREE/HREE ratios in Fe-Mn crusts above 2000 in were lower than those below 2000 m. The change in RE E with water depth could be explained by two processes: adsorptive scavenging by setting matters and behaviors of REE in seawater. However, the Ce abundance took no obvious correlation with water depth reflects the constant Ce flux. The Cc in crusts existed mainly as Ce(IV), implying that the oxidative-enriching process was controlled by kinetic factors.

Clay mineral distributions in the southern Yellow Sea and their significance

To better understand the characteristics of the clay minerals in the southern Yellow Sea, the X-ray quantitative determinations have been carried out for the surface samples obtained from the Yellow Sea. With newly compiled clay mineral synoptic maps, the depositional processes were described for four main clay minerals (illite, chlorite, kaolinite and smectite). The analysis shows that most clay minerals are of terrigenous source with the Huanghe River acting as the major sediment supplier. Besides, the source of muddy sediments in the Yellow Sea was also discussed. As for the central Yellow Sea mud (CYSM), the sediments in its northern part mainly come from the Huanghe River, and those in the rest are of multi-origin. Very similarly, a large amount of sediments in the northern part of the southeastern Yellow Sea Mud (SEYSM) derive from the Keum River and Yeongsan River, while those in the southern part are of multi-origin.