Depleted deep South China Sea δ13C paleoceanographic events in response to tectonic evolution in Taiwan–Luzon Strait since Middle Miocene

Abstract

The most distinctive feature of the deep South China Sea (SCS) paleoceanography is the occurrence of long-term depleted deep-sea benthic foraminiferal δ13C values. They are lower than the global and the Pacific composite records in the last 16Ma, especially at 13.2, 10.5, 6.5, 3.0 and 1.2–0.4Ma. This distinct deep SCS paleoceanograhic history coincides with the subduction–collision history in the Taiwan region where waters of the West Pacific (WP) and the SCS exchange. The depleted deep-sea benthic foraminiferal δ13C events indicate that the SCS deep basin became progressively a stagnant environment in the last 16Ma due to either closure of the connection with the WP bottom water or temporary reduction of the WP deep water flowing into the deep SCS. Both the Taiwan accretionary prism and the Luzon arc became the main tectono-morphological barriers for the WP bottom water flowing into the SCS deep basin when eastward subduction of the SCS oceanic lithosphere beneath the Philippine Sea Plate started from the Middle Miocene (18–16Ma). This began a long-term trend of depleted SCS deep-sea benthic δ13C values in the last 16Ma. The oblique arc–continent collision since ~6.5Ma uplifted the Taiwan accretionary prism rapidly above sea level and further isolated the SCS from the open Pacific. The collision simultaneously causes backthrusting deformations in the North Luzon Trough forearc basin and sequentially closes interarc water gates between volcanic islands from north to south. The Loho and the Taitung interarc water gates in the advanced collision zone were closed at ~3.0Ma and ~1.2Ma, coinciding with the very low SCS deep-sea benthic δ13C events at 3.0 and 1.2–0.4Ma, respectively. The Taitung Canyon between the Lutao and Lanyu volcanic islands in the incipient collision zone is semi-closed presently. These closure events also lead to the result that the WP deep water intrudes westward into the SCS principally through the Bashi Channel between the Lanyu and Batan volcanic islands in the subduction zone.