Sedimentation on the north shelf of the East China Sea

Abstract

A reconnaissance study has determined the overall pattern of sedimentation on the northern continental shelf of the East China Sea. In the study area, modern and Pleistocene terrigenous sediments and bioclastic accumulations dominate, but biochemical and volcanic deposits are locally developed. The northern shelf shows the following sedimentary divisions: (1) A modern terrigenous subdivision, including the nearshore and Hupijiao muddy subdivisions, (2) the relict Changjiang River delta (inner shelf), and (3) a palimpsest subdivision, including two subdivisions which differ in terms of the effects of modern biogenic and terrigenous sedimentation (middle and outer shelf). These divisions reflect the variation in geological history, sediment supply, hydrodynamic conditions and biological productivity on the shelf.