The tectonic differences between the east and the west in the deep-water area of the northern South China Sea

XIA Zhongyu; WAN Zhifeng; WANG Xianqing; SHI Qiuhua; CAI Song; XIA Bin

doi:10.1007/s13131-016-0799-8

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Article Navigation > Acta Oceanologica Sinica > 2016 > 35(1): 86-95

XIA Zhongyu, WAN Zhifeng, WANG Xianqing, SHI Qiuhua, CAI Song, XIA Bin. The tectonic differences between the east and the west in the deep-water area of the northern South China Sea[J]. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 2016, 35(1): 86-95. doi: 10.1007/s13131-016-0799-8

Citation:

XIA Zhongyu, WAN Zhifeng, WANG Xianqing, SHI Qiuhua, CAI Song, XIA Bin. The tectonic differences between the east and the west in the deep-water area of the northern South China Sea[J]. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 2016, 35(1): 86-95. doi: 10.1007/s13131-016-0799-8

Citation:

XIA Zhongyu, WAN Zhifeng, WANG Xianqing, SHI Qiuhua, CAI Song, XIA Bin. The tectonic differences between the east and the west in the deep-water area of the northern South China Sea[J]. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 2016, 35(1): 86-95. doi: 10.1007/s13131-016-0799-8

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The tectonic differences between the east and the west in the deep-water area of the northern South China Sea

doi: 10.1007/s13131-016-0799-8

1.
School of Marine Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering/Key Laboratory of Offshore Oil Exploration and Development of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
2.
Center for Assessment and Development of Real Estate, Shenzhen 518034, China
3.
Shenzhen Branch of CNOOC Ltd., Guangzhou 510240, China

Received Date: 2015-03-17
Rev Recd Date: 2015-05-05

Abstract

Abstract

The deep-water area of the northern South China Sea, which has active and complicated tectonics, is rich in natural gas and gas hydrate. While the tectonic characteristics is different obviously between the east and the west because of the special tectonic position and tectonic evolution process. In terms of submarine geomorphology, the eastern shelf-slope structure in Pearl River Mouth Basin is characterized by having wide sub-basins and narrow intervening highs, whereas the western (Qiongdongnan Basin) structure is characterized by narrow subbasins and wide uplift. As to the structural features, the deep-water sags in the east are all structurally halfgrabens, controlled by a series of south-dipping normal faults. While the west sags are mainly characterised by graben structures with faulting in both the south and north. With regards to the tectonic evolution, the east began neotectonic activity when the post-rifting stage had completed at the end of the Middle Miocene. In the Baiyun Sag, tectonic activity became strong and was characterised by rapid subsidence and obvious faulting. Whereas in the west, neotectonic activity began at the end of the Late Miocene with rapid deposition and weak fault activity.
- structural feature,
- tectonic evolution,
- tectonic difference,
- deep-water basins,
- northern South China Sea

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