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Radiocarbon Dates from the East China Sea and Their Geological Implications

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Chen Yijian ,
Peng Gui  and
Jiao Wengiang
Chen Yijian
Affiliation:
Institute of Geology, National Bureau of Seismology, Beijing, China
Peng Gui
Affiliation:
Institute of Geology, National Bureau of Seismology, Beijing, China
Jiao Wengiang
Affiliation:
Institute of Geology, National Bureau of Seismology, Beijing, China
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Abstract

Radiocarbon analysis plays an important role in studying the Quaternary geologic history of the East China Sea. More than 200 14C dates have been published in various Chinese publications. The continental shelf of the East China Sea is one of the few large continental shelves in the world. Many low-lying flats and deltaic plains lie along the coast making it a favorable site for sea-level studies. Radiocarbon data from Neolithic sites, chenier ramparts, peaty deposits, and submarine sediments converge to suggest that oscillations of sea level have occurred: they also suggest that the lowest glacial sea levels probably occurred between 22,000 and 19,000 yr B.P. Calculation of the volume of the Yangtze River Delta, together with 14C dates, indicates that more than 89% of the solid particles carried by the river were deposited in the delta. Due to the sedimentary load, the crust beneath the delta has subsided isostatically and tilted seaward. Marine shells provide many acceptable 14C dates, but because they are easily transported, most samples from the continental shelf cannot be directly related to the history of sea-level changes.

Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 24 , Issue 2 , July 1985 , pp. 197 - 203
Copyright
University of Washington

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