DISTRIBUTION OF GUYOTS ON THE NORTHWESTERN SLOPE OF SOUTH CHINA SEA AND THEIR TOPOGRAPHIC FEATURES

ZHANG Huodai; ZHU Benduo; REN Jinfeng; HAN Bing; CHEN Hongjun

doi:10.16028/j.1009-2722.2017.08002

2017 Vol. 33, No. 8

Article Contents

Article navigation > Marine Geology Frontiers > 2017 > 33(8): 11-17

Next Article Previous Article

ZHANG Huodai, ZHU Benduo, REN Jinfeng, HAN Bing, CHEN Hongjun. DISTRIBUTION OF GUYOTS ON THE NORTHWESTERN SLOPE OF SOUTH CHINA SEA AND THEIR TOPOGRAPHIC FEATURES[J]. Marine Geology Frontiers, 2017, 33(8): 11-17. doi: 10.16028/j.1009-2722.2017.08002

Citation:

ZHANG Huodai, ZHU Benduo, REN Jinfeng, HAN Bing, CHEN Hongjun. DISTRIBUTION OF GUYOTS ON THE NORTHWESTERN SLOPE OF SOUTH CHINA SEA AND THEIR TOPOGRAPHIC FEATURES[J]. Marine Geology Frontiers, 2017, 33(8): 11-17. doi: 10.16028/j.1009-2722.2017.08002

DISTRIBUTION OF GUYOTS ON THE NORTHWESTERN SLOPE OF SOUTH CHINA SEA AND THEIR TOPOGRAPHIC FEATURES

Key Laboratory of Marine Mineral Resources, Ministry of Land and Resources, Guangzhou 510760, China; Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, China Geological Survey, Guangzhou 510760, China

Received Date: 15 May 2017

Publish Date: 28 August 2017

Abstract

Abstract

The Ocean Drilling Program has made clear the internal structure of guyots in the west Pacific. However, little literatures are available in the region of the South China Sea concerning guyots or flat-top seamounts. Recently, on the northwestern slope of the South China Sea we have found nine flat-top seamounts and knolls exceeding 3 km² in area based on multi-beam bathymetric data. In this paper, the topographic features of these guyotsare analyzed. It is found that they are mainly distributed on some topographic rises near submarine platforms submerged undera water depth of 184-631m. The most obvious one is the Pingnan Seamount to the north of the Zhongsha Islands. It consists of several small flat-top seamounts in a northwest line, rather similar tothe Megallan Seamounts in the West Pacific. According to the evolutionary model of theguyots in the west Pacific, the flat-top topographic featuresstarted from volcanic islands. They were erodedwhen they were close to the sea level, and coral reefs would develop to compensate the subsidence and made the top flat. Certainly the identification of flat-top seamounts and knolls in the South China Sea will help future geological and geophysical surveys in the region though the evolutionary details are not clear at present.
- South China Sea /
- northwestern slope /
- flat-top seamounts /
- topographic features

FullText(HTML)

References

[1]	Flood P. Development of northwest Pacific guyots: General results from Ocean Drilling Program legs 143 and 144[J]. Island Arc, 1998, 8(1):92-98. Google Scholar
[2]	Taylor B, Hayes D E. Origin and History of the South China Sea Basin[C]//Hayes D E. The Tectonics and Geological Evolution of Southeast Asia Seas and Islands, Part 2.American Geophysical Union, Geophysical Monograph, 1983, 27 : 23-56. Google Scholar
[3]	Franke I, Savva D, Pubcllicr M, et al. The final rifting evolution in the South China Sea[J]. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 2014(58):704-720. Google Scholar
[4]	Clift P D, Lin J, Barckhauscn U. Evidence of low flexural rigidity and low viscosity lower continental crust during continental break-up in the South China Sea[J]. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 2002, 19(8):951-970. doi: 10.1016/S0264-8172(02)00108-3 CrossRef Google Scholar
[5]	李家彪.南海大陆边缘动力学:科学实验与研究进展.地球物理学报[J].2011, 54(12):2993-3003. doi: 10.3969/j.issn.0001-5733.2011.12.002 CrossRef Google Scholar
[6]	Briais A, Patriat P, Tapponnier P. Updated interpretation of magnetic anomalies and seafloor spreading stages in the South China Sea: implications for the tertiary tectonics of Southeast Asia[J]. Journal of Geophysical Research, 1993, 98(B4): 6299-6328. doi: 10.1029/92JB02280 CrossRef Google Scholar
[7]	姚伯初.中美合作调研南海地质专报[M].武汉:中国地质大学出版社, 1994. Google Scholar
[8]	Hsu S K, Yeh Y, Doo W B, et al. New bathymetry and magnetic lineations identifications in the Northernmost South China Sea and their tectonic implications[J]. Marine Geophysical Research, 2004, 25(1):29-44. Google Scholar
[9]	Li C F and Song T R.Magnetic recording of the Cenozoic oceanic crustal accretion and evolution of the South China Sea basin[J].Chinese Science Bulletin, 2012, 57(24):3165-3181. doi: 10.1007/s11434-012-5063-9 CrossRef Google Scholar
[10]	Barckhausen U, Engels M, Franke D. et al. Evolution of the South China Sea: Revised ages for breakup and seafloor spreading[J]. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 2014, 58:599-611. Google Scholar
[11]	Li C F, Xu X, Lin J, et al. Ages and magnetic structures of the South China Sea constrained by deep tow magnetic surveys and IODP Expedition 349[J]. Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems, 2014, 15(12):4958-4983. doi: 10.1002/2014GC005567 CrossRef Google Scholar
[12]	Koppers, A A P.On the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating of low-potassium ocean crust basalt from IODP Expedition 349, South China Sea[C].AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts, 2014. Google Scholar
[13]	修淳, 张道军, 翟世奎, 等.西沙岛礁基底花岗质岩石的锆石U-Pb年龄及其地质意义[J].海洋地质与第四纪地质, 2016, 36(3):115-126. Google Scholar
[14]	IHO, IOC. Standardization of Undersea Feature Names[M]. Monaco: Bathymetric Publication, 2008. Google Scholar
[15]	杨胜雄, 邱燕, 朱本铎.南海地质地球物理图系[M].北京:中国航海图书出版社, 2015. Google Scholar