Sedimentology and evolution of the Holocene radial tidal sand ridge in the south Yellow Sea, China

Abstract

The radial tidal sand ridge (RTSR) off the Jiangsu Coast in the south Yellow Sea is one of the most fantastic and unique natural landscapes in the world. A large number of investigations on geomorphology and marine geology have been implemented during the last several decades. The formation and evolution of the RTSR, however, are still under debate. To resolve this issue, 10 ∼30–60 m-long cores were retrieved from the Jiangsu coastal plain and offshore sand ridge field in 2018–2019. Stratigraphic transects chronologically constrained by abundant radiocarbon dates were built based on sedimentological and paleoecological (i.e., foraminifer) data from selected cores. Combined with well-documented core stratigraphy from earlier studies, an age–depth plot with a local sea-level change curve revealed that the RTSR initiated approximately 9,000 cal a BP in a sandy bedform shape under transgressive conditions, continued throughout the Holocene, but developed mostly after 1128 AD, when the Yellow River flowed southward into the Yellow Sea. Abundant sediment supply, thus, appears to have played a major role in the formation and evolution of the RTSR in the south Yellow Sea.

Characteristics and Environmental Indications of Grain Size and Magnetic Susceptibility of the Late Quaternary Sediments from the Xiyang Tidal Channel, Western South Yellow Sea

“…60 to ca. 100 ka except for one date, and half of them have saturated OSL signals (equivalent dose (D e ) >200 Gy, the same below), indicating probable age underestimations [33,[46][47][48]. (3) In the section corresponding to Sections 2-4, all the 14 C dates (twelve) of these cores range from ca.…”

“…34 to >43.5 ka BP, except for three dates, while one quartz OSL date is 94.7 ± 8.5 ka with saturated OSL signals, also indicating probable age underestimations [33,47,48]. (4) In the section corresponding to Section 5, core 07SR01 yields two AMS 14 C dates which are both >34 ka BP, core JC-1202 yields three quartz OSL dates ranging from 144 to 211 ka, and core JSWZK03 yields five dates, with the quartz OSL dates (four) ranging from >134.2 to >170 ka and the AMS 14 C date greater than 43.5 ka BP [33,47,48]. Moreover, the quartz OSL signals in all samples of this section are saturated, indicating that these dates are presumably underestimated.…”

“…On the basis of the above four aspects, it can be further inferred that in core 07SR01, the strata of the first continental facies and marine facies formed in MIS 4-2 and MIS 1, respectively, are missing because of both the strong tidal current scouring and anthropogenic activities. Correlation of the Late Quaternary sedimentary sequences of mainly studied cores in the Xiyang tidal channel and its adjacent area on the northwest side; core 07SR01 was modified after reference [33]; core BH15 was modified after reference [46]; core JC-1202 was modified after reference [47]; core JSWZK03, JSWZK09, and JSWZK10 were modified after reference [48]; the curve of global sea level changes was modified after reference [49]. Correlation of the Late Quaternary sedimentary sequences of mainly studied cores in the Xiyang tidal channel and its adjacent area on the northwest side; core 07SR01 was modified after reference [33]; core BH15 was modified after reference [46]; core JC-1202 was modified after reference [47]; core JSWZK03, JSWZK09, and JSWZK10 were modified after reference [48]; the curve of global sea level changes was modified after reference [49].…”

“…Figure 7. Correlation of the Late Quaternary sedimentary sequences of mainly studied cores in the Xiyang tidal channel and its adjacent area on the northwest side; core 07SR01 was modified after reference[33]; core BH15 was modified after reference[46]; core JC-1202 was modified after reference[47]; core JSWZK03, JSWZK09, and JSWZK10 were modified after reference[48]; the curve of global sea level changes was modified after reference[49].…”

Sedimentary Sequence and Age of Core NTCJ1 in the Sheyang Estuary, Western South Yellow Sea: A Re-Interpretation

“…Additionally, beneath the Holocene strata, the MIS 3 deltaic deposits could be identified with a burial depth of 17.00-31.60 m [17]. Between 2018 and 2019, He et al drilled and analyzed a series of sedimentary cores in the middle Jiangsu coast including the Sheyang estuary area, aiming to reconstruct the detailed stratigraphic architecture from the coastal plain to the sand ridge region and examine its evolution since the late Pleistocene [18]. The analysis results of the relevant cores (JSWZK 09 and JSWZK 10, see Figure 1 for the locations of cores) could provide more detailed information on the sedimentary sequence and age in the Sheyang estuary.…”