Abstract
Studies on the evolution of paleo-channels in coastal areas are important for submarine engineering construction and to reveal changes in the global paleoenvironment. Thus, to explore the characteristics of paleo-channels during the late Last Glaciation in the western South Yellow Sea, digital terrain analysis method and ArcGis river extraction function were employed, high-resolution shallow stratigraphic seismic profiles and core data were analysed, and river empirical formulas were used to determine river properties and river patterns. Results indicate that the ancient river system during the late Last Glaciation of the South Yellow Sea shelf is divided into paleo-Yellow (Huanghe) and paleo-Yangtze (Changjiang) Rivers. The paleo-channels near 33 degrees N belong to the paleo-Yangtze River, and generally flow from east to northeast. The paleo-channels around 35 degrees N and 123,5 degrees E are part of the paleo-Yellow River. Compared with the paleo-Yellow River, the paleo-Yangtze River is prone to horizontal migration and has higher penetration depths and discharge. Based on the slope-width method, the paleo-Yellow River system can be considered mainly as a meandering river, whereas the paleo-Yangtze River system is largely a braided river. Remarkable differences are found between the paleo-Yangtze River and the paleo-Yellow River. The characteristics of buried paleo-channels during the late Last Glaciation can be useful in predicting the incident potential hazard of submarine engineering and in revealing the paleoenvironment changes in the South Yellow Sea shelf.
Highlights
Since the late Pleistocene era, global sea levels have experienced several fluctuations; the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea went through several large-scale transgressions and regressions [1÷3]
The results show that in the late Last Glaciation, three main paleo-channels had developed in the western South Yellow Sea: near 33°N, the ancient river system generally flowed from east to northeast; close to 35°N, the main stream of paleo-channels flowed from east to southeast; and near 123,5°E, the entire paleochannels flowed southeast (Fig. 3)
Near 35°N, the paleo-Yellow River system flowed from east to southeast, which affected the middle of the South Yellow Sea where Core NT1 locates
Summary
Since the late Pleistocene era, global sea levels have experienced several fluctuations; the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea went through several large-scale transgressions and regressions [1÷3]. During the low sea level in the Last Glaciation, the Yellow (Huanghe) and the Yangtze (Changjiang) Rivers joined at the northern Jiangsu Province, and flowed into the Yellow Sea basin [14, 15] This phenomenon significantly influenced the paleoenvironment of Yellow Sea. the Tehnički vjesnik 23, 3(2016), 835-842 characteristics of these paleo-channels on the shelf of the South Yellow Sea remain unclear. This complex situation is well recorded on a large number of the shallow stratigraphic seismic profiles [3, 17, 20, 21].
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