Sedimentary sequence and sediment provenance are important factors when it comes to the studies on marine sedimentation. This paper studies grain size distribution, lithological characteristics, major and rare earth elemental compositions, micropaleontological features and ^(14)C ages in order to examine sedimentary sequence and sediment provenance of the core BH6 drilled at the mouth of the Yellow River in Bohai Sea. According to the grain size and the micropaleontological compositions, 4 sedimentary units have been identified. Unit 1(0–8.08 mbsf) is of the delta sedimentary facies, Unit 2(8.08–12.08 mbsf) is of the neritic shelf facies, Unit 3(12.08–23.85 mbsf) is of near-estuary beach-tidal facies, and Unit 4(23.85 mbsf–) is of the continental lake facies. The deposits from Unit 1 to Unit 3 have been found to be marine strata formed after the Holocene transgression at about 10 ka BP, while Unit 4 is continental lacustrine deposit formed before 10 ka BP. The provenances of core BH6 sediments show properties of the continental crust and vary in different sedimentary periods. For Unit 4 sediments, the source regions are dispersed while the main provenance is not clear, although the parent rock characteristics of a few samples are similar to the Luanhe River sediments. For Unit 3, sediments at 21.1–23.85 mbsf have been mainly transported from the Liaohe River, while sediments above 21.1 mbsf are mainly from the Yellow River and partially from the Liaohe River. For Unit 2, the sediments have been mainly transported from the Yellow River, with a small amount from other rivers. For Unit 1, the provenance is mainly the Yellow River catchment. These results help in better understanding the evolution of the Yellow River Delta.
SONG ShengFENG XiuliLI GuogangLIU XiaoXIAO XiaoFENG Li
Based on 17 AMS 14 C age data,we reconstructed high-resolution records of sea surface primary productivity(PP) in the southern Okinawa Trough(MD05-2908) over the last 6.8 ka BP using the calcareous nannofossil carbon isotope and the relative percentage contents of Florisphaera profunda indexes.The underlying mechanism controlling the sea surface PP was then discussed.The sea surface PP,indicated by the coccolith δ 13 C and %Fp conversional equations,decreased with some fluctuations since 6.8 ka BP.This decrease may be connected to the decreased terrigenous input resulting from the reduced East Asian Summer Monsoon(EASM) precipitation.Both the periods of 4-2 ka BP(PME) and 6.8-4.8 ka BP were characterized by relatively higher PP.The former was mainly controlled by the weakening of the Kuroshio Current,whereas the latter mainly resulted from the greater terrigenous input associated with the stronger EASM.