Biogenic reefs are one of two major depositional types in the South China Sea, and are constructed by coral, algae and bryozoa. The West Pacific is a major area of biogenic reef development and plays a critical role i...Biogenic reefs are one of two major depositional types in the South China Sea, and are constructed by coral, algae and bryozoa. The West Pacific is a major area of biogenic reef development and plays a critical role in the global carbon cycle. However, the lack of geochronological studies in previous works inhibits our understanding of their contributions. Herein, we conduct a cyclostratigraphic and magnetostratigraphic study on Neogene biogenic reefs using the XK–1 core that was drilled at the Shidao Island,Xisha(Paracel) Islands. The main findings of this study are:(1) the establishment of reliable magentostratigraphy for Ledong, Huangliu, Meishan and Sanya Formations;(2) the magnetic susceptibility variation can be inferred as growth index and tuned to the 405–ka long eccentricity cycle;(3) the astronomical geochronology suggests that the bottom ages for Ledong, Yinggehai, Huangliu, Meishan,and Sanya Formations are 2.2 Ma, 5.7 Ma, 10.4 Ma, 16.6 Ma, and 24.3 Ma, respectively; and (4) Earth's eccentricity and obliquity played predominant roles in biogenic reef establishment on orbital to tectonic timescales. Thus, the reported geochronology offers an opportunity to test the contributions of various factors and hypothesize their roles in the global carbon cycle in future.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(41630965,41690112 and 41621004)the National Programme on Global Change and Air–Sea Interaction of China(GASI–GEOGE–04)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
文摘Biogenic reefs are one of two major depositional types in the South China Sea, and are constructed by coral, algae and bryozoa. The West Pacific is a major area of biogenic reef development and plays a critical role in the global carbon cycle. However, the lack of geochronological studies in previous works inhibits our understanding of their contributions. Herein, we conduct a cyclostratigraphic and magnetostratigraphic study on Neogene biogenic reefs using the XK–1 core that was drilled at the Shidao Island,Xisha(Paracel) Islands. The main findings of this study are:(1) the establishment of reliable magentostratigraphy for Ledong, Huangliu, Meishan and Sanya Formations;(2) the magnetic susceptibility variation can be inferred as growth index and tuned to the 405–ka long eccentricity cycle;(3) the astronomical geochronology suggests that the bottom ages for Ledong, Yinggehai, Huangliu, Meishan,and Sanya Formations are 2.2 Ma, 5.7 Ma, 10.4 Ma, 16.6 Ma, and 24.3 Ma, respectively; and (4) Earth's eccentricity and obliquity played predominant roles in biogenic reef establishment on orbital to tectonic timescales. Thus, the reported geochronology offers an opportunity to test the contributions of various factors and hypothesize their roles in the global carbon cycle in future.
