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Holocenechangesindetritalsedimentsupply
totheeasternpartofthecentralYellowSeaand
theirforcingmechanisms
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Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 105 (2015) 18–31
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Journal of Asian Earth Sciences
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jseaes
Holocene changes in detrital sediment supply to the eastern part of the
central Yellow Sea and their forcing mechanisms
Dhongil Lim a,b, Zhaokai Xu a,c,⇑, Jinyong Choi d, Tiegang Li c, Soyoung Kim e
a
South Sea Research Institute, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Geoje 656-830, Republic of Korea
Marine Environmental Chemistry and Biology, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon 305-320, Republic of Korea
c
Key Laboratory of Marine Geology and Environment, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
d
Department of Oceanography, Kunsan National University, Kunsan 573-701, Republic of Korea
e
Arctic Research Center, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon 406-840, Republic of Korea
b
a r t i c l e
i n f o
Article history:
Received 30 October 2014
Received in revised form 17 March 2015
Accepted 19 March 2015
Available online 27 March 2015
Keywords:
Sediment provenance
Clay mineralogy
Rare earth elements
Central Yellow Sea mud
a b s t r a c t
In this study, Holocene changes in the riverine, eolian, and erosional supplies to the eastern part of the
central Yellow Sea (YS) and their forcing mechanisms were determined on the basis of multiple
mineralogical and geochemical indices of three age-dated piston cores from the central Yellow Sea
mud (CYSM) deposition. The core records of the indices, including clay minerals, rare earth element fractionation parameters, and conservative trace elements, revealed abrupt changes in the sediment sources,
especially 9.0 and 4.8 ka. The late last deglaciation and early Holocene sediments (Units 3 and 4, 14.1
to 9.0 ka) most likely originated from the paleo-Huanghe and the sea bed erosion, together with some
contribution from the paleo-Changjiang Shoal sediments that extended northeastward into the YS. After
that period, the dominant sediment source gradually changed to the Changjiang during the middle
Holocene (9.0–4.8 ka, Unit 2), while the supplies from Huanghe and sea bed erosion to the south YS
decreased. In the last 4.8 ka (Unit 1), the CYSM largely received Changjiang-derived sediments.
Besides, some clay-sized particulates from the Huanghe, sea bed erosion, and Korea rivers might be transported to the CYSM during Unit 1. Possible mechanisms behind such changes in the riverine and erosional
sediment sources and contributions include position shifts of river mouths, tidal stress evolutions, shelf
sea-level fluctuations, East Asian monsoon climate changes, and the development of the YSWC and
coastal circulation systems.
Ó 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction
The Yellow Sea (YS), located between mainland China and the
Korean Peninsula, is a typical epicontinental shelf of the northwestern Pacific, with complex shelf and coastal circulation systems
(Fig. 1). It is known for the high levels of terrigenous sediment supplied from the contiguous landmasses, not only including riverine
particulate loads from two of the largest rivers in the world, the
Changjiang (Yangtze River) and the Huanghe (Yellow River) in
mainland China (Milliman and Meade, 1983; Liu et al., 2009) and
several smaller Korea rivers (e.g., the Han, Keum, Yeongsan,
Chongchon, and Taedong rivers) (Yang et al., 2003a; Lim et al.,
2007; Li et al., 2014), but also sediments from the extensive erosion
of the Old Huanghe delta on the Jiangsu coast (Milliman and
⇑ Corresponding author at: Key Laboratory of Marine Geology and Environment,
Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China. Tel.:
+86 532 8289 8835; fax: +86 532 8289 8526.
E-mail address: [email protected] (Z. Xu).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jseaes.2015.03.032
1367-9120/Ó 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Meade, 1983; Zhou et al., 2014) and the nearby sea bed (Wang
et al., 2014). Most of the riverine sediments are trapped in estuaries and along coastal areas, but some sediments are deposited on
adjacent shelves (Milliman et al., 1985; Liu et al., 2007b, 2009;
Kim et al., 2013; Gao and Collins, 2014; Hu et al., 2014; Liu et al.,
2014; Wang et al., 2014), resulting in the development of several
shelf mud patch depositions therein (Fig. 1), while other sediments
are transported to the steep slope, the Okinawa Trough, and the
East (Japan) Sea (Katayama and Watanabe, 2003; Dou et al.,
2012; Um et al., 2013; Xu et al., 2014a,b).
Notably, these shelf mud patches, the central Yellow Sea mud
(CYSM) deposition in particular, do not extend from the river
mouths, but are separated from coastal zones, and their formation
is closely related to the current systems of gyres and/or upwellings
that have been present for the past 6–7 ka in this shelf environment (Hu, 1984; Shi et al., 2003; Bian et al., 2013; Wang et al.,
2014). This strongly contrasts with the formation theory that
CYSM deposition was continuously elongated from the Huanghe
D. Lim et al. / Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 105 (2015) 18–31
19
Fig. 1. Schematic map showing the locations of cores EZ06-1, EZ06-2, and EZ06-6 in the present study and other typical reference cores (YSC-1 and YSC-4, Li et al., 2014;
YS01A, Wang et al., 2014; SYS-0803, Liu et al., 2010a; YSDP102, Li et al., 2009; B3, Hu et al., 2014; MZ02, Liu et al., 2014) in the SYS and adjacent areas. The regional circulation
paths (arrow) as well as the muddy deposition areas (shaded polygon) are sourced from Xu et al. (2014b) and Hu et al. (2014). Riverine samples from mainland China and
western Korea (dashed red rectangle) are also shown (Choi et al., 2010). SDCC = Shandong Coastal Current; YSCC = Yellow Sea Coastal Current; CDW = Changjiang Diluted
Water; ECSCC = East China Sea Coastal Current; TWSC = Taiwan Warm and Saline Current; KC = Kuroshio Current; TWC = Tsushima Warm Current; YSWC = Yellow Sea Warm
Current; KCC = Korea Coastal Current. (For interpretation of the references to color in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the web version of this article.)
mouth to the central YS (Liu et al., 2007a). Many researchers
believed that the CYSM sediments were derived entirely from the
Huanghe (Milliman et al., 1986; Lee and Chough, 1989;
Alexander et al., 1991; Park and Khim, 1992; Cho et al., 1999;
Yang and Liu, 2007; Yang and Youn, 2007). However, some have
suggested a ‘‘multi-origin’’ concept for the CYSM provenance based
mainly on mineralogical, geochemical, and magnetic compositions
(Zhao et al., 1990, 1997; Wei et al., 2003; Li et al., 2014; Wang
et al., 2014), and numerical modeling (Bian et al., 2013), implying
that the CYSM was formed by sediments supplied not only from
the Huanghe but also from other riverine (e.g., the Changjiang
and Korea rivers) and erosional (e.g., the Old Huanghe delta and
sea bed) sources. For this reason, over the last three decades, the
CYSM deposition has attracted a great deal of attention from
researchers interested in sediment provenance, evolution history,
and formation mechanisms, but rarely has any consensus been
achieved (e.g., Milliman et al., 1986; Park and Khim, 1992; Yang
et al., 2003a; Yang and Youn, 2007; Bian et al., 2013; Li et al.,
2014; Wang et al., 2014). In particular, variations in sediment
provenance over time, as well as the factors controlling these
variations, have remained unresolved. This should be, at least to
some extent, correlated to the uncertain compositions of possible
provenances caused by the heterogeneity and typicality of target
sample, analysis instrument, and analysis method, etc. as well as
20
D. Lim et al. / Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 105 (2015) 18–31
the potential bias induced by using a single indicator in the previous studies. And thus, more substantial evidences from the sediment cores (e.g., multiple useful indices), together with
corresponding analyses on typical samples of potential provenances with the same analysis instrument and method as those
used for core samples, are necessary to reliably discriminate the
sediment origins in the CYSM deposition (Yang et al., 2003a; Li
et al., 2014; Wang et al., 2014).
The close link between paleoenvironmental changes and variations in detrital sediment supply can be addressed through grain
size, clay mineralogy, and elemental signals in surface and core
sediments from the YS and nearby seas. Specifically, this information can be combined to trace sediment provenance, sediment
transport, and depositional processes, and also to provide information on the weathering regime within the continental interior
(Yang et al., 2003a; Yang and Youn, 2007; Xu et al., 2009b; Wang
and Yang, 2013; Li et al., 2014; Xu et al., 2014a,b). For example,
grain size variations have some potential as environmental proxies
because stronger or closer runoff as well as intenser erosion to the
sea bed might carry coarser grains to the YS (Liu et al., 2004; Xiang
et al., 2008; Li et al., 2014; Wang et al., 2014). High values of smectite and kaolinite plus chlorite have been implicated as typical
characteristics of Huanghe-derived and western Korea riverderived materials, respectively, deposited in the YS (Yang et al.,
2003a; Xu et al., 2009a; Choi et al., 2010). In addition, conservative
trace elements (e.g., Zr, Th, Hf, Nb, and Sc) and rare earth elements
(REEs) are well accepted as reliable provenance tracers, as they are
mainly detrital components, and therefore reflect their provenances in the sediment (Taylor and McLennan, 1985; Yang et al.,
2003a; Yang and Youn, 2007; Xu et al., 2009b, 2014b). Recently,
using these indices to reconstruct sediment provenance and transport processes correlated to, for example, estuary shift, tidal stress
variation, sea-level fluctuation, monsoon climate change, and oceanic circulation evolution in the northwestern Pacific marginal seas,
has become more prevalent (Hu et al., 2014; Li et al., 2014; Wang
et al., 2014; Xu et al., 2014a,b; Zhou et al., 2015).
In this study, we present a composite data set including
accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14C ages, grain size, clay
minerals, REEs, and conservative trace elements for three sediment
cores from the eastern part of the CYSM deposition. Based on the
synthetic consideration on compositions of these parameters in
potential provenances (e.g., Shirozu, 1969; Biscaye et al., 1997;
Yang and Li, 2000; Ohta et al., 2003; Yang et al., 2003a,b; Ortiz
and Roser, 2006; Chen et al., 2007; Choi et al., 2010; Dou et al.,
2010a,b; Imai et al., 2010; Li et al., 2012, 2013; Xu et al., 2009b,
2012; Lan et al., 2013; Li et al., 2014), we further propose several
provenance indices that reflect the innate characters of the source
sediments. The purposes of this study were (1) to examine provenance variations through time of clay minerals and elemental
compositions in the eastern part of the CYSM deposition, especially
changes in sediment supplies from nearby rivers and erosion of sea
bed to the central YS since the late last deglaciation, particularly in
the Holocene and (2) to reconstruct the competing roles of estuary
shift, tidal stress change, sea-level fluctuation, East Asian monsoon
climate variability, and oceanic circulation evolution in regulating
such changes. Our results provide a fascinating insight into the
reconstruction of paleo-depositional and paleo-oceanographic systems behind the formation of a unique mud deposition in the YS.
2. Materials and methods
For this study, three piston core samples (EZ06-1: 35°49.80 N,
123°54.00 E, water depth 78.2 m, 370 cm in length; EZ06-2:
35°49.80 N, 124°23.40 E, water depth 78.9 m, 360 cm in length; and
EZ06-6: 35°26.40 N, 123°51.60 E, water depth 76.4 m, 350 cm in
length) were collected from the eastern part of the CYSM deposition (Fig. 1). The cores were split lengthwise, photographed, and
logged in detail by visual examination. Subsamples of the cores
for grain size, clay mineralogy, and geochemical analysis were
taken at 5–10-cm intervals. No evidence of turbidity, hiatus, or
mass re-deposition was found during the above subsampling process. Grain size analysis was conducted on 124 core samples as
well as 32 riverine samples (13 from the Huanghe and 19 from
western Korea rivers) by a standard dry-sieving technique for the
sand-sized fractions (>63 lm) and by a pipette method for the
mud fractions (silt- and clay-sized fractions; <63 lm) after the
removal of calcium carbonate and organic compounds. The sandsized fractions were dried and shaken for 30 min through nested
sieves at intervals of 0.5 U. Grain size distribution of the mud fractions was determined using a settling column and Stoke’s Law
(Galehouse, 1971). Sodium hexametaphosphate was added to inhibit flocculation of the particles in the setting column. The mud
fractions were separated at intervals of 0.5 U, too. And then textural parameters were calculated using graphic method on the
basis of weight percent of each phi fraction (Ingram, 1971). Clay
minerals from 124 samples were processed on the <2-lm fraction
of each sample, which was separated based on the conventional
Stokes’ settling velocity principle after the removal of calcium carbonate and organic matter. The X-ray diffraction analysis was performed on oriented mounts with an M18XCE diffractometer using
Cu Ka radiation (40 kV, 100 mA; Bruker, Billerica, MA, USA).
Relative percents of the three main clay mineral groups (smectite,
illite, and kaolinite plus chlorite) were estimated by weighting
integrated peak areas of characteristic basal reflections in the glycolated state using MacDiff software with the empirical factors of
Biscaye (1965). Relative proportions of kaolinite and chlorite were
determined based on the ratio from the 3.58/3.54 Å peak areas. The
error of the relative abundance of each clay mineral for duplicated
analysis of some samples was estimated to be less than 5%.
Crystallinity of illite (CI) was calculated as the full-width at halfmaximum height (FWHM) of the illite 10 Å peak. Generally, high
(low) FWHM values indicate poor (good) crystallinity, strong
(weak) hydrolysis, as well as humid and warm (arid and cold) climate conditions in continental source regions (Chamley, 1989).
For geochemical measurements, 89 powdered bulk samples of
the cores were admixed with 1.0 g LiBO2. Each mixture was then
fused at 900 °C for 20 min, and the resultant cakes were cooled
and dissolved in 200 ml of 5% HNO3. Each solution was analyzed
for concentrations of REEs (La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho,
Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, and Y) and selected elements (Mn, Zr, Th, Hf, U,
Sc, and Nb) using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry at the University of London, UK. Standard reference material
(MAG-1) was analyzed in addition to the sample sets to provide
a control for analytical precision and accuracy. The results showed
that differences between determined and certified values were
generally below 5–10%, indicating satisfactory recoveries. AMS
14
C ages of mixed foraminifera from four key layers were measured
by the Beta Analytic Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory (Miami, FL,
USA). All radiocarbon ages were corrected for the regional marine
reservoir effect and then calibrated to calendar 14C ages using the
latest Calib 7.0 program (Stuiver and Reimer, 1993; Reimer et al.,
2013; Table 1). To facilitate comparisons with previously published
dating data for the YS, all ages in this paper are reported as calibrated calendar 14C ages before AD 1950 (BP).
In this study, clay mineralogical data and elemental data of
riverine sediments from potential sediment sources to the YS
(the Changjiang, the Huanghe, and Korea rivers) were mainly
obtained from Choi et al. (2010) and Xu et al. (2009b), respectively.
These previous data were acquired using the same laboratory
methods described above. As to compositions of other potential
D. Lim et al. / Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 105 (2015) 18–31
Table 1
Radiocarbon dating of the study core sediments.
Cores
Depth (cm)
Materials
AMS 14C age
(year BP)
Calendar age
(year BP)
EZ06-1
EZ06-1
EZ06-1
EZ06-2
6
156
356
92
Foraminifera
Foraminifera
Foraminifera
Foraminifera
390 ± 40
3980 ± 40
11,870 ± 40
4890 ± 95
156 ± 55
4177 ± 55
13,448 ± 55
5382 ± 55
provenances for the study sediments, only the typical ones that
had been well authorized by many previous researches (e.g.,
Biscaye et al., 1997; Dou et al., 2010a,b; Li et al., 2012, 2014; Xu
et al., 2014a,b) were used. Although preliminary characteristics
for the clay mineral compositions of core EZ06-2 sediments were
reported previously by Choi et al. (2010), no chronostratigraphic
constraint had been placed on the core sediments, which prevented them from being interpreted in the context of a time series.
3. Results
The core sediments from the CYSM deposition mostly consisted
of mud with a mean grain size of 8–9 U in the upper section, and
sandy mud or sandy silt with a mean grain size of 5–6 U in the
middle and lower sections (Fig. 2). In this study, an age model of
CYSM deposition was constructed by linear interpolation between
the calibrated calendar ages of core EZ06-1. A recent research has
indicated that the deposition rate in the CYSM over the last 12 ka is
virtually constant despite the significant rise in sea-level and associated changes in the tidal current fields and wave distributions in
the YS (Zhou et al., 2015), especially for the sediment cores with
similar mud thickness (e.g., Alexander et al., 1991; Kim et al.,
1998). For example, very similar mud thickness (250 cm vs.
260 cm) and linear sedimentation rate (37.3 cm/ka vs. 36.5 cm/
ka) exist between cores EZ06-1 and YK07 (35°10 N, 123°22.10 E;
Alexander et al., 1991). Besides, very similar deposition ages
(5.4 ka at 92 cm, 5.4 ka at 99 cm, and 5.4 ka at 95 cm) have been
found for cores EZ06-2, EZ06-6, and CC02 (36°7.70 N, 123°49.20 E;
Kim et al., 1998) with shorter mud thickness (100 cm, 110 cm,
and 115 cm). And thus, these cores should provide a continuous
record of sedimentary evolution in the CYSM over the entire
Holocene as well as the late last deglaciation. Vertical granular,
mineralogical, and geochemical characteristics of these CYSM cores
are displayed in Fig. 2. Overall, the compositions of some typical
indices exhibited a generally similar pattern of change in all cores:
the cores displayed a relatively wide range of values for grain size,
clay minerals, REEs, and La/Sc and Zr/Th ratios, and furthermore,
the vertical variations of each core could be divided into four units:
Unit 1 (170–0 cm; <4.8 ka), Unit 2 (260–170 cm; 9.0–4.8 ka), Unit
3 (310–260 cm; 11.3 to 9.0 ka), and Unit 4 (370–310 cm; 14.1
to 11.3 ka) in core EZ06-1. The calibrated calendar 14C age for the
sediment just below the bottom of Unit 1 in core EZ06-2 (5.4 ka)
also supported the validity of comparison based on these indices
among the three different cores.
Detailed characteristics of grain size, clay minerals, REEs, and
conservative trace elements for each unit, as well as the main
potential provenances, are listed in Table 2. The upcore increasing
trends of mean grain size, illite, kaolinite plus chlorite, RLREEs
(light REEs), and RHREEs (heavy REEs), in contrast to the decreasing trends for smectite, smectite/illite ratios, CI, La/Sc ratios, and
Zr/Th ratios, are obvious for Holocene deposition of the CYSM, with
the exception of pre-Holocene Unit 4 deposition, which had moderate parameter values but high-frequency fluctuations (Fig. 2).
Overall, Units 1 and 3 both had relatively constant compositions
for grain size, clay minerals, REEs, and conservative trace elements,
although absolute parameter values in these two units clearly
21
differed. In Unit 2, a transition period from Unit 3 to Unit 1, smectite, smectite/illite ratio, CI, La/Sc ratio, and Zr/Th ratio generally
decreased from bottom to top, while mean grain size, illite, kaolinite plus chlorite, RLREEs, and RHREEs showed the opposite trend.
Note that vertical changes of illite and smectite/illite ratio in the
study cores were obviously controlled by the downcore fluctuation
of smectite (Fig. 2). Furthermore, moderate correlations were
observed between La concentrations and mean grain size values
in cores EZ06-2 and EZ06-6, with correlation coefficients (R) of
0.69 and 0.71, respectively.
4. Discussion
Identification of sediment provenance is crucial to understanding the paleoenvironmental and sedimentary processes in the YS
(Yang et al., 2003a; Yang and Youn, 2007; Liu et al., 2009; Li
et al., 2014; Wang et al., 2014; Zhou et al., 2015). Despite extensive
studies, the origin of detrital sediments in the CYSM has remained
controversial, particularly with regard to the mode and degree of
detrital sediment contributions from mainland China, Korea,
Japan, and sea bed in different periods (Yang and Liu, 2007; Yang
and Youn, 2007; Li et al., 2014; Wang et al., 2014). This should
be caused by not only the complex provenance end-members but
also the drastically fluctuant controlling factors (e.g., riverine supply, tidal stress, sea level, monsoon climate, and oceanic circulation) in the YS and nearby shelf areas during the postglacial
period (Gao et al., 1997; Yang et al., 2003a; Liu et al., 2004; Xue
et al., 2004; Lim et al., 2007; Yang and Liu, 2007; Wang et al.,
2008, 2014; Xiang et al., 2008; Li et al., 2009, 2014; Hu et al.,
2014; Zhou et al., 2015).
4.1. Sediment provenance discrimination: clay mineralogical evidence
Contents of clay minerals and their relative ratios in marine
sediments can be used as potential proxies for discriminating
clay-sized sediment provenance, especially in relation to the rivers
from mainland China, Korea, and Taiwan as well as the sea bed erosion, which are possibly dominant sediment provenances for the
CYSM (Yang et al., 2003a; Xu et al., 2009a; Choi et al., 2010; Li
et al., 2014; Wang et al., 2014). Previous studies have documented
that high smectite content in the YS is diagnostic of Huanghederived sediment (Xu et al., 2009a, 2014a; Choi et al., 2010; Liu
et al., 2010a; Li et al., 2012). However, a consensus has rarely been
reached on effectively discriminating between clay minerals from
the Changjiang and western Korea rivers, possibly due to measurement errors resulting from the use of different analysis instruments and calculation methods (Yang et al., 2003a). For example,
the average values of kaolinite plus chlorite for Changjiang estuary
sediments have been reported at 23%, 28%, and 34% by Fan et al.
(2001), Xu et al. (2009a), and Choi et al. (2010), respectively.
Because of these discrepancies, measurements of clay mineral
compositions for both the study cores and the riverine sediments
should be performed with the same analysis instruments and
calculation methods; this is a prerequisite for constraining claysized detrital sediment provenances of the target samples.
Based on clay minerals in riverine sediments from China and
Korea, we can easily determine that western Korea river sediments
are enriched in kaolinite plus chlorite compared to Huanghe and
Changjiang sediments (Table 2). In addition, Changjiang sediments
appear to be illite-rich and smectite-poor (Table 2). These relative
differences in the clay mineral compositions of riverine sediments
[e.g., illite/(kaolinite plus chlorite) ratios, smectite/illite ratios] can
be utilized as useful indicators for provenance discrimination
between rivers from Korea and China, and even further, between
the Huanghe and Changjiang, in the YS shelf sediments (Choi
22
D. Lim et al. / Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 105 (2015) 18–31
Fig. 2. The lithology and downcore profiles of mean grain size, clay mineralogy, REEs, La/Sc ratio, and Zr/Th ratio in cores EZ06-1, EZ06-2, and EZ06-6. Note the overall similar
four-phase distribution patterns of these different cores.
Table 2
A summary of grain size, clay mineralogy, and typical conservative trace elements of the study core sediments and potential detrital provenances.
Samples
Mz (U)
Sm.
(%)
Ill. (%)
Kao. +
Chl. (%)
Sm./Ill.
(100)
CI (°)
La/Sc
Zr/Th
References
This study
EZ06-1
Unit
Unit
Unit
Unit
1
2
3
4
17
8
6
6
8.8 ± 0.1
8.6 ± 0.1
7.1 ± 1.2
6.3 ± 0.1
5±2
6±1
9±1
8±1
61 ± 2
61 ± 1
62 ± 2
61 ± 1
34 ± 3
33 ± 2
29 ± 1
31 ± 1
8.8 ± 2.6
10.0 ± 1.7
15.3 ± 2.8
13.2 ± 1.5
0.29 ± 0.01
0.30 ± 0.01
0.33 ± 0.02
0.32 ± 0.01
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
EZ06-2
Unit
Unit
Unit
Unit
1
2
3
4
10
7
13
6
8.5 ± 0.1
6.7 ± 0.8
5.5 ± 0.3
5.8 ± 0.3
5±1
9±2
10 ± 1
9±2
64 ± 1
63 ± 2
60 ± 1
61 ± 1
31 ± 2
28 ± 1
30 ± 2
30 ± 2
8.1 ± 1.4
14.0 ± 3.8
17.4 ± 1.6
14.7 ± 2.9
0.31 ± 0.01
0.32 ± 0.01
0.33 ± 0.02
0.34 ± 0.01
2.5 ± 0.1
3.1 ± 0.3
3.8 ± 0.3
3.4 ± 0.2
10.9 ± 0.5
15.7 ± 1.9
20.7 ± 1.8
19.2 ± 1.7
EZ06-6
Unit
Unit
Unit
Unit
1
2
3
4
10
5
8
28
8.3 ± 0.2
7.5 ± 0.9
5.9 ± 0.2
6.9 ± 0.5
6±1
7±2
11 ± 1
10 ± 1
61 ± 1
63 ± 3
60 ± 1
60 ± 1
33 ± 1
30 ± 3
29 ± 1
30 ± 1
9.5 ± 2.2
11.3 ± 2.8
18.3 ± 2.7
17.3 ± 2.6
0.29 ± 0.01
0.33 ± 0.01
0.34 ± 0.01
0.32 ± 0.01
2.5 ± 0.1
2.7 ± 0.2
3.6 ± 0.3
2.9 ± 0.2
10.7 ± 0.5
14.2 ± 4.2
22.0 ± 1.6
14.2 ± 2.6
Changjiang
Surface
sediments
–/6/6
6.3
4±2
62 ± 1
34 ± 2
6.4 ± 2.9
0.32 ± 0.01
3.1 ± 0.2
11.0 ± 3.0
Yang and Li (2000), Yang et al. (2003a), and Choi et al. (2010)
Huanghe
13/23/9
5.6 ± 0.9
12 ± 3
56 ± 2
32 ± 2
21.5 ± 5.8
0.33 ± 0.01
3.4 ± 0.4
14.6 ± 5.9
This study, Yang and Li (2000), and Choi et al. (2010)
Western Korea rivers
19/21/5
6.7 ± 1.1
4±1
52 ± 2
44 ± 2
7.0 ± 2.7
0.34 ± 0.02
4.7 ± 1.4
8.8 ± 1.1
This study, Yang et al. (2003b), and Choi et al. (2010)
Taedong and Chongchon Rivers
–/21/–
–
4±2
70 ± 4
26 ± 3
7.1
–
–
–
Li et al. (2014)
Taiwan rivers
–/41/24
–
0±0
69 ± 9
31 ± 9
0±0
0.32 ± 0.06
2.4 ± 0.1
5.5 ± 0.4
Chen et al. (2007) and Li et al. (2012)
Southwestern Japan rivers
–/–/–
–
5/0
44/41
51/59
11.4/0
–
1.6 ± 0.2
27.0 ± 1.6
Shirozu (1969), Ortiz and Roser (2006), and Imai et al. (2010)
Eolian dust
Since LGM
–/16/9
–
1±1
55 ± 7
45 ± 8
0.9 ± 1.5
–
2.4 ± 0.8
5.6 ± 2.0
Biscaye et al. (1997) and Ohta et al. (2003)
East China Sea shelf
14.0–8.4 ka
27/15/89
6.7
9±3
67 ± 3
25 ± 4
14.6 ± 5.4
–
3.1 ± 0.7
20.6 ± 4.4
Dou et al. (2010b), Xu et al. (2012), and Lan et al. (2013)
D. Lim et al. / Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 105 (2015) 18–31
Numbers
Note: Mz = mean grain size; Sm. = smectite; Ill. = illite; Kao. = kaolinite; Chl. = chlorite; number after ± is standard deviation; – means data unavailable; LGM = last glaciation maximum.
23
24
D. Lim et al. / Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 105 (2015) 18–31
Fig. 3. Discrimination plots showing variations in clay minerals of cores EZ06-1 (a), EZ06-2 (Choi et al., 2010) (b), and EZ06-6 (c). Data of possible sources including surface
sediments of the Changjiang, Huanghe, western Korea rivers (the Han, Keum, and Yeongsan Rivers; Choi et al., 2010), the Taedong and Chongchon Rivers from northern Korea
(Li et al., 2014), Taiwan rivers (Li et al., 2012), and southwestern Japan rivers (Shirozu, 1969), eolian dust formed since the last glaciation maximum (Biscaye et al., 1997), and
East China Sea shelf sediments deposited between 14.0 and 8.4 ka (Dou et al., 2010b) are also shown for comparison.
et al., 2010). As to other potential provenances, the sea bed erosion
is characterized by the lowest content of kaolinite plus chlorite,
while samples of Taiwan rivers and eolian dust own the lowest
smectite/illite ratios. Although smectite/illite ratios in riverine
sediments from southwestern Japan are changeable, yet these
samples have the highest contents of kaolinite plus chlorite
(Fig. 3 and Table 2). The three cores from the study area revealed
apparent vertical variations in these indicators. Considering these
possible provenance end-members, Units 4 and 3 of the cores were
similar in character to the Huanghe and shelf deposition (Fig. 3 and
Table 2), suggesting that these sediments might be predominantly
derived from the Huanghe and the sea bed erosion. Furthermore,
Unit 4 sediments might be affected by the Changjiang-derived particulates to a certain extent. This was also observed in the early
Holocene sedimentary unit (>7.6 ka) of core YSC-1 from the
CYSM deposition (Li et al., 2014) and nearby core deposition in
the south YS (SYS) formed between 14.2 and 9.0 ka (Liu et al.,
2010a), which was significantly influenced by Huanghe-derived
sediments. Meanwhile, the sediments of Unit 2 were characterized
by increasing contents of illite and decreasing amounts of smectite
(Fig. 3 and Table 2), implying that the influence of Changjiangderived materials in the central YS began to increase. Unit 1 sediments had clay mineral compositions similar to those of
Changjiang sediments (Fig. 3 and Table 2), indicating that these
sediments might predominantly originate from the Changjiang.
In contrast, surface sediments from Taiwan and southwestern
Japan rivers as well as eolian dust obviously differed from the
study samples in their clay mineralogical compositions (Fig. 3
and Table 2); therefore, no possibility exists that either of these
three continental areas were the main provenances of the claysized sediments in the study cores. However, some clay-sized particulates from Korea might enter into the study area during Unit 1
(Fig. 3), especially for core EZ06-1 with the finest grain size.
Particularly, the Old Huanghe estuary shifted into the SYS at
1128–1185 AD (i.e., 0.8–0.1 ka). We can see the relatively
enhanced influence from the Huanghe to cores EZ06-1 and EZ066 during the event (Fig. 3). Nevertheless, this influence was not
obvious for core EZ06-2 (Fig. 3), probably caused by its relatively
longer distance from the Old Huanghe estuary (Fig. 1). Some recent
studies on clay minerals from nearby cores YSC-1, YSC-4, YS01A,
SYS-0803, and B3 have also suggested Changjiang, Huanghe, and
Korea as the potential provenance of clay-sized sediments in these
cores during the late Holocene (Liu et al., 2010a; Hu et al., 2014; Li
et al., 2014; Wang et al., 2014).
Such determinations of the sediment provenances of the study
cores were generally consistent with CI changes in the cores (Fig. 2
and Table 2). In particular, recent studies (Liu et al., 2007a; Wang
and Yang, 2013) have indicated that clay minerals of the
Huanghe and Changjiang sediments may have not changed a great
deal throughout the Holocene, and therefore, downcore changes in
the clay mineral compositions of the study cores should dominantly reflect sediment provenance shifts in the SYS and not climatic variations in the source regions (Li et al., 2014).
4.2. Sediment provenance discrimination: geochemical evidence
The upper continental crust (UCC)-normalized pattern of REEs
is a widely accepted method for discriminating sediment provenances of various geological materials (Taylor and McLennan,
1985; Song and Choi, 2009; Xu et al., 2009b). As to possible sediment provenances for the study area, previous geochemical studies
have effectively demonstrated the distinct difference among them,
which might result from the different source rocks/sediments
(Yang et al., 2002a; Ohta et al., 2003; Ortiz and Roser, 2006; Song
and Choi, 2009; Xu et al., 2009b; Dou et al., 2010a; Imai et al.,
2010; Li et al., 2013). Despite obvious vertical changes in the REE
concentrations of these CYSM cores, the UCC-normalized patterns
of all units were similar overall, characterized by a weak convex
trend in terms of atomic number, with a slight enrichment of middle REEs (MREEs; e.g., Nd, Sm, and Eu; Fig. 4). To constrain possible
REE provenances for these cores, we compared their UCC-normalized patterns with those of potential sources, including the
Huanghe, the Changjiang, western Korea rivers, Taiwan rivers,
southwestern Japan rivers, eolian dust, and shelf erosion. In
Fig. 4a and c, we can easily determine that concentrations and distribution patterns of REEs for the core sediments were distinctly
different from riverine samples from western Korea, Taiwan, and
southwestern Japan as well as eolian dust, suggesting that these
two provenances made no significant contributions to the study
area. The Huanghe, Changjiang, and nearby shelf sediments generally displayed relatively flat UCC-normalized patterns of REEs, with
a weak enrichment of MREEs, similar to those of the CYSM core
sediments (Fig. 4b and d). In detail, Unit 1 sediments were more
similar to the Changjiang sediments, while Unit 3 samples were
relatively closer to the Huanghe and shelf sediments. As for sediments from Units 2 and 4, they were generally located between
Unit 1 and Unit 3 (Fig. 4b and d), possibly suggesting a mixed contribution from the Huanghe, Changjiang, and sea bed erosion.
D. Lim et al. / Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 105 (2015) 18–31
25
Fig. 4. UCC-normalized distribution patterns of REEs for cores EZ06-2 (a and b) and EZ06-6 (c and d). Data of possible sources including surface sediments of the Changjiang
and Huanghe (Xu et al., 2009b), western Korea rivers (the Han, Keum, and Yeongsan Rivers; Xu et al., 2009b), Taiwan rivers (Li et al., 2013), and southwestern Japan rivers
(Imai et al., 2010), eolian dust formed since the last glaciation maximum (Ohta et al., 2003), and East China Sea shelf sediments deposited between 14.0 and 8.4 ka (Dou et al.,
2010a) are also shown for comparison.
However, recent studies have emphasized that in addition to the
source rock, many other factors such as grain size, diagenesis, and
heavy minerals might also influence REE compositions in riverine
and marine sediments (Yang et al., 2002a; Song and Choi, 2009).
In particular, great caution should be taken when using REE distribution patterns as provenance tracers to discriminate sandy
and coarse silty marine sediments that might contain abundant
heavy minerals (Jung et al., 2012) because of the high RREEs in
these minerals (Taylor and McLennan, 1985). As shown in Fig. 5a,
moderate correlations were observed between La concentrations
and mean grain size values in cores EZ06-2 and EZ06-6, suggesting
that the sediment grain size might be a contributing factor controlling REEs (McLennan et al., 1993). Considering the poor correlation
between La and Mn concentrations in these two cores (Fig. 5b), the
contribution of diagenesis after deposition is likely minor.
Additionally, inconsistent poor to high correlations were observed
between La concentrations and elements correlating with heavy
minerals, including Zr, Th, Hf, and U (Fig. 5c–f), which might indicate the importance of heavy minerals as contributing factors controlling REEs. This is consistent with the generally coarse grain sizes
in the cores, especially for the lower units (Units 3 and 4), which
were dominated by silt and sand (Fig. 2). A previous study has indicated that heavy minerals in total contribute at least 20% and 25% of
RREEs in the modern Changjiang and modern Huanghe sediments,
respectively (Yang et al., 2002a). Mean grain size values of Units 3
and 4 in cores EZ06-2 and EZ06-6 and those of the Changjiang
and the Huanghe (Table 2) were similar to the shelf sediments collected from the South Sea of Korea (Jung et al., 2012). Combining the
dominant provenances of Units 3 and 4 sediments from these rivers
as well as the erosion of nearby continental shelf (Figs. 3 and 4), and
thus Units 3 and 4 sediments might contain abundant heavy minerals that could significantly influence the compositions of REEs.
Accordingly, both grain size and heavy minerals might significantly
influence the character of REEs in the core sediments, especially for
the lower sandy units. Although the UCC-normalized patterns of
REEs might be used to roughly differentiate contributions from different provenances to CYSM cores (Fig. 4), yet the possible bias
caused by grain size and heavy minerals calls for further constrain
the sediment provenances of the study cores with other useful geochemical indices.
Generally, elemental ratios in marine sediments can better offset differences caused by grain size, analysis method, and instrument error than their absolute contents (Yang et al., 2003a; Yang
and Youn, 2007). Both La and Sc were enriched in the clay-sized
fractions, while Zr and Th were generally associated with heavy
minerals (Yang et al., 2002a; Lim et al., 2014), suggesting that
ratios of these elements (e.g., La/Sc and Zr/Th ratios) can neutralize
the influences of grain size and heavy minerals, thus resulting in an
effective tracer for sediment provenance (Xu et al., 2014b). Such
indices indicate the sediment provenances of each unit in the
CYSM cores (Fig. 6a and b). Unit 1 sediments were relatively closer
to the Changjiang. Unit 2 samples were located between the
Huanghe, Changjiang, and shelf deposition. Units 3 and 4 sediments seem to be dominantly sourced from the Huanghe and sea
bed erosion, although the latter was possibly affected by the
Changjiang to a certain extent (Fig. 6a and b). In addition, the La/
Sc and Zr/Th ratios in samples from western Korea, Taiwan, and
southwestern Japan rivers as well as eolian dust were generally different than those in the study area, supporting the possibility that
terrigenous influences from these provenances might be negligible
(Fig. 6a and b). This interpretation of provenance is generally consistent with those indicated by the clay mineralogy and REEs discussed above. However, these ratios could not well discriminate
the Changjiang and the Huanghe end-members (Fig. 6). This should
26
D. Lim et al. / Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 105 (2015) 18–31
Fig. 5. Correlation plots of La with mean grain size (a), Mn (b), Zr (c), Th (d), Hf (e), and U (f) for cores EZ06-2 and EZ06-6.
Fig. 6. Discrimination plots showing variations in La/Sc and Zr/Th ratios for cores EZ06-2 (a) and EZ06-6 (b). Data of possible sources including surface sediments of the
Changjiang and Huanghe (Yang and Li, 2000), western Korea rivers (the Han, Keum, and Yeongsan Rivers; Yang et al., 2003b), Taiwan rivers (Chen et al., 2007), and
southwestern Japan rivers (Ortiz and Roser, 2006; Imai et al., 2010), eolian dust formed since the last glaciation maximum (Ohta et al., 2003), and East China Sea shelf
sediments deposited between 14.0 and 8.4 ka (Xu et al., 2012; Lan et al., 2013) are also shown for comparison.
be, at least to some extent, correlated to the uncertain geochemical
compositions of these possible provenances caused by the heterogeneity and typicality of target sample, analysis instrument, and
analysis method, etc. in the previous work. In fact, only five estuary
samples from the Changjiang as well as another five estuary samples from the Huanghe were analyzed by Yang and Li (2000). The
limited analysis sample number and thus the relatively higher
statistic error might lead to the overlap of the Changjiang and
the Huanghe end-members. This reason, together with different
analysis instruments and analysis methods used in the present
study and the previous one (Yang and Li, 2000), might result in
the deviation of Unit 1 samples from the potential provenances.
And thus, measurements of geochemical compositions for both
the target cores and typical samples of the potential provenances
should be carried out with the same analysis instruments and
analysis methods in the subsequent research.
In this study, clay mineralogical and geochemical indices conclusively revealed that the Changjiang, Huanghe, and shelf
sediment supplies to the study area were temporally changed during the Holocene: Unit 1 and Unit 3 were primarily derived from the
Changjiang as well as the Huanghe and sea bed erosion, respectively, and Units 2 and 4 had mixed origins from the Huanghe,
Changjiang and sea bed erosion, although the Huanghe and shelf
erosion were likely the dominant sources for Unit 4. Besides, sediment contributions from western Korea, Taiwan, southwestern
Japan, and eolian dust were likely minor, especially for coarse-sized
fractions. However, some clay-sized particulates from Korea rivers
and the Huanghe might also influence Unit 1 of the study cores.
4.3. Paleoenvironmental implications of sediment provenance changes
Based on the above synthetic analyses, four units (Units 1–4)
could be distinguished as characterizing major detrital provenance
changes in the CYSM deposition over the last 14.1 ka (Figs. 2–4
and 6). The main factors that may have influenced such provenance changes in the YS since the last deglaciation include (Hu
D. Lim et al. / Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 105 (2015) 18–31
27
Fig. 7. Schematic diagrams summarizing influences of estuary shift, sea level, and oceanic circulation on riverine sediment supplies to the study area and nearby shelf during
Units 4–3 (14.1 to 9.0 ka; a), Unit 2 (9.0–4.8 ka; b), and Unit 1 (<4.8 ka; c). The paleo-shoreline (green line) was 80 m at 14 ka. Detailed abbreviation information could
be found in Fig. 1. (For interpretation of the references to color in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the web version of this article.)
et al., 2014; Li et al., 2014; Wang et al., 2014; Xu et al., 2014b): pronounced sea-level fluctuations that controlled the positions of
shore lines, the estuaries of nearby rivers, and tidal stress amplitudes (Liu et al., 2004; Xue et al., 2004; Wang et al., 2014; Zhou
et al., 2015); the formation of the YSWC, which could carry the
Changjiang sediment influx northward (Lim et al., 2007; Choi
et al., 2010); and changes in the regional monsoon climate system
that might control the intensity of fluvial runoff (Wang et al., 1999,
2008). Combining previous studies on changes in the depositional
regimes recorded in the YS and nearby areas (e.g., Li et al., 2014;
Wang et al., 2014; Zhou et al., 2015), we here discuss how these
competing processes have controlled detrital sedimentation in
the CYSM during the last 14.1 ka.
Unit 4 coincides with late stage of the last deglaciation (14.1
to 11.3 ka). During this period, the sea level in the YS was 80–
44 m lower than at present (Liu et al., 2004; Fig. 7a). The prominent
sea-level lowstand led to the seaward progradation of the coastline
and the emergence of an exposed shelf in the YS and nearby seas
(Li et al., 2000; Uehara and Saito, 2003; Hu et al., 2014). Changes
in the coastline configuration caused shifts of the tidal fields
therein, with tidal currents being more energetic than that at present (Uehara and Saito, 2003). Moderate tidal bottom stress
accounted for the erosion of previous sediments (e.g., large tidal
sand ridges) on the East China Sea shelf as well as on the YS shelf
in the late last deglaciation and early Holocene (Uehara and Saito,
2003; Shinn et al., 2007; Zhou et al., 2015). Unit 4 sediments in the
CYSM cores were formed under the circumstance of moderate tidal
bottom stress (Zhou et al., 2015; Fig. 7a), as characterized by the
generally coarse grain size and the high-frequency fluctuations in
parameter values (Fig. 2). Besides, the paleo-Changjiang Shoal
moved northeastward into the SYS at 12 ka (Li et al., 2000,
2002; Fig. 7a) and thus could contribute some riverine materials
to the study area (Liu et al., 2007b). In addition, some of the
Changjiang-derived sediments might be transported southward
to the inner shelf of the East China Sea at 14.0 to 11.3 ka (Liu
et al., 2007b, 2014). Although there is little knowledge about the
paleo-Huanghe mouth before the Holocene, Liu et al. (2010a)
pointed out the significant influx of the paleo-Huanghe matter into
the SYS between 14.2 and 9.0 ka. Besides, the paleo-Huanghe
mouth was reported to shift to the Bohai Sea Strait and formed
the proximal Huanghe subaqueous delta along the northern shore
of the Shandong Peninsula at 11.6–9.6 ka (Xue et al., 2004;
Fig. 7a). Therefore, fluvial discharges, mainly from the Huanghe
and partly from the Changjiang, might have been carried to the
study area (Liu et al., 2007b, 2010a; Li et al., 2014), which was
likely because the distance from the proximal Huanghe subaqueous delta to the study area was shorter than the distance from
the Changjiang (Fig. 7a), together with the southward distributary
of the Changjiang-derived matter (Liu et al., 2014). Despite the
shortest Holocene distance between the proximal Huanghe subaqueous delta and the study area, the weakest Holocene East
Asian summer monsoon occurred during this period (Wang et al.,
1999, 2008) likely led to the least fluvial flux to the CYSM during
Unit 4 compared to the other units (Fig. 2). Adding the input of erosion production from the nearby shelf under the moderate tidal
bottom stress environment at that time (Shinn et al., 2007; Zhou
et al., 2015; Figs. 3 and 6), typical characters of moderate grain size
and relatively higher values for smectite, smectite/illite ratios, La/
Sc ratios, and Zr/Th ratios (Figs. 2, 3 and 6), together with high-frequency fluctuations on parameter values, in Unit 4 were formed.
They might indicate the overwhelming significance of the monsoon climate and tidal stress on sedimentation in the study area.
The contrast phenomena as signaled by the decreasing contributions from the Huanghe and Changjiang to the Okinawa
Trough as related to the rapid sea-level rise (e.g., meltwater
pulse-1A at 14.3–14.1 ka and meltwater pulse-1B at 11.6–
11.2 ka; Liu et al., 2004, 2007b) at that time were also observed
recently (Dou et al., 2012; Xu et al., 2014a), indicating the possibility for the transport of these riverine sediments to the shelf areas.
In Unit 3 (11.3 to 9.0 ka), corresponding to the early
Holocene, the local sea level was 44–10 m lower than at present
(Liu et al., 2004). Along with sea-level rise, high tidal bottom stress
regions (>1 N/m2) retreated shoreward from Cheju Island toward
the west coast of Korea, as well as along the retreat path of the
paleo-Changjiang estuary (Uehara and Saito, 2003). However,
Unit 3 sediments were still formed under circumstances of relatively strong tidal bottom stress (Zhou et al., 2015). As the sea-level
rise continued (e.g., meltwater pulse-1C at 9.5–9.2 ka; Liu et al.,
2004, 2007b), the paleo-Changjiang Shoal was submerged, and
the paleo-Changjiang estuary retreated farther westward from
the SYS to the Jiangsu coast (Li et al., 2000, 2002; Fig. 7a), whereas
the paleo-Huanghe mouth shifted toward the SYS at 9.6–8.5 ka
(Xue et al., 2004; Fig. 7a). Thus, the increased distance between
the paleo-Changjiang estuary and the study area (Fig. 7a), the formation of the paleo-Changjiang delta (Hori et al., 2002; Hori and
Saito, 2007; Song et al., 2013), and the enhancement of the southward transport of paleo-Changjiang sediments (Liu et al., 2014)
resulted in its obviously decreasing contribution to the CYSM
28
D. Lim et al. / Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 105 (2015) 18–31
(Figs. 3 and 6). Therefore, fluvial discharges predominantly originating from the Huanghe as well as erosional materials from the
sea bed were likely carried to the study area (Li et al., 2014;
Wang et al., 2014; Fig. 7a). An area of sand and muddy sand,
defined as the erosional remnant of the early Holocene (at
11.6–9.1 ka) Huanghe delta, was correspondingly found on the
west side of the study area (34°180 –35°360 N, 120°00 –122°240 E;
Milliman et al., 1987, 1989; Alexander et al., 1991; Lee et al.,
2009). In Unit 3, climate amelioration reached an optimum, with
maximal summer monsoon influence, causing overall high temperatures and humidity in the East Asian continent and adjacent
seas (Wang et al., 1999, 2008; Xu and Oda, 1999; Wang and
Yang, 2013). The strongest Holocene East Asian summer monsoon
and the warmest Holocene climate might have led to the highest
fluvial flux along with the coarsest particulate loads to the sea
occurring during this period. Therefore, detrital materials mainly
originating from the paleo-Huanghe, together with erosional
materials from the sea bed under circumstances of relatively
strong tidal bottom stress (Zhou et al., 2015), were abundantly
transported into the CYSM deposition and dominated sedimentation therein in Unit 3, resulting in the coarsest grain size
as well as the highest values for smectite, smectite/illite ratios,
CI, La/Sc ratios, and Zr/Th ratios (Figs. 2, 3 and 6).
In Unit 2 (9.0–4.8 ka), the local sea level slowly transgressed
from 10 m to +9 m (Liu et al., 2004). Besides, the tidal field of
the YS in this unit became generally similar to that of the present
(Uehara and Saito, 2003; Zhou et al., 2015), leading to obviously
decreasing contributions from the sea bed erosion (Figs. 3 and 6).
Most of the paleo-Changjiang sediments were trapped within the
incised valley with further sea-level rise at 9–6 ka (Hori et al.,
2002; Hori and Saito, 2007; Song et al., 2013), while some sediments were transported southward during this period (Liu et al.,
2007b, 2014; Fig. 7b). Therefore, the contributions of the paleoChangjiang to the CYSM and the southwest Cheju Island mud, possibly transported eastward by the Changjiang Diluted Water
(Moon et al., 2009; Hu et al., 2014), were likely limited (Hu et al.,
2014; Li et al., 2014), especially during the early stage of the unit.
As for the paleo-Huanghe mouth, it gradually retreated with rising
sea level and reached its present position at 8.2 ka (Saito et al.,
2000; Xue et al., 2004; Fig. 7b). Meanwhile, the establishment of
modern-day circulation in the YS, such as the YSWC and the
Yellow Sea Coastal Current (YSCC), was suggested to have occurred
8.47–6.63 ka (Kim and Kucera, 2000). Later work by Xiang et al.
(2008) further indicated the formation of a modern marine shelf
in the SYS after 6–5 ka. More recently, Lim et al. (2006) and Li
et al. (2009) also demonstrated that the YSWC began to form
6.4 ka and strengthened 4.0 ka. Therefore, the YSWC and the
YSCC should have been generally weak or even absent in the study
area during this period, especially in the early stage of the unit
(Kim and Kucera, 2000; Xiang et al., 2008; Li et al., 2009), and thus
detrital sediments from both the Huanghe and the Changjiang
could escape from the weak or nonexistent oceanic front between
the YSWC and the YSCC, and enter into the study area and the
southwest Cheju Island mud (Hu et al., 2014; Li et al., 2014;
Fig. 7b). However, although no significant variation in the prevailing sediment provenance occurred from 9.0 to 4.8 ka (Figs. 3 and
6), the decreasing trends in smectite, smectite/illite ratios, CI, La/Sc
ratios, and Zr/Th ratios in the upcore direction, together with the
increasing trends for mean grain size, illite, RLREEs, and RHREEs,
are obvious (Fig. 2). This likely occurred for the following reasons.
First, the slowly rising sea level (Liu et al., 2004), as well as the
gradually weakening East Asian summer monsoon from 9.0 to
4.8 ka (Wang et al., 1999, 2008), might have resulted in lesser fluvial flux and finer particulate loads from the Huanghe and the
Changjiang to the SYS. Second, the continuously enhancing intensities of the YSWC and the YSCC (Kim and Kucera, 2000; Xiang
et al., 2008; Li et al., 2009), as well as the oceanic front between
them (Dong et al., 2011; Li et al., 2014), might have gradually
decreased the paleo-Huanghe supply to the study area and the
southwest Cheju Island mud (Hu et al., 2014) over time.
However, some paleo-Changjiang sediment might have been transported to the CYSM by the gradually forming YSWC (Lim et al.,
2007; Choi et al., 2010). Accordingly, our results for detrital sediment input into the SYS demonstrated that the regional sedimentation changes were basically controlled by shifts of the
paleo-river mouths, tidal stress, and the monsoon climate from
14.1 to 4.8 ka. Sea level affected sedimentation in the SYS to a lesser degree. However, the influence of oceanic circulation evolution
was weak and limited to the later stage of the unit.
At the beginning of Unit 1 (4.8 ka), most of the typical parameters abruptly changed to be very different from those of the previous units (Fig. 2 and Table 2), denoting obvious variations in
sediment provenance and the paleoenvironment in the study area
at that time (Figs. 3, 6, and 7c). Since then, most mineralogical and
geochemical compositions were relatively constant in this unit
(Fig. 2 and Table 2), denoting little changes in sediment provenance and the paleoenvironment. Based on the benthic foraminifer
record in the YS, changes in the intensity of river runoff, associated
sediment and organic carbon delivery, and bottom-water oxygen
stopped 4.7 ka (Kim and Kucera, 2000). A recent study on the
southwest Cheju Island mud also indicated the sole dominance of
the Changjiang supply therein from 4.2 to 0.8 ka (Hu et al.,
2014). The shifts in sediment provenance and paleoenvironment
at that time might correlate with the beginning of the predominance of the YSWC and the YSCC in the surface current system of
the SYS 5–4 ka (Kong et al., 2006; Xiang et al., 2008; Li et al.,
2009; Fig. 7c). At that time, fine-grained detrital materials from
the Changjiang could be carried northward along the YSWC path
to the southwest Cheju Island mud (Hu et al., 2014), the southeastern YS mud (Lim et al., 2007), and the CSYM (Fig. 7c), where the
weak tidal-current system and cyclonic eddies provided favorable
environments for the formation and maintenance of muddy sedimentations (Yuan et al., 1987; Shi et al., 2003). However, the relatively weaker intensity of the East Asian summer monsoon (Wang
et al., 1999, 2008) would lead to less rainfall in the Changjiang
basin and then weaker intensity of the Changjiang Diluted Water.
Adding the longest Holocene distance between the Changjiang
estuary to the study area (Fig. 7c), and thus only fine-grained particulates from the Changjiang could be transported to the study
area, leading to the finest grain size in Unit 1 (Fig. 2 and Table 2).
In addition, the strong oceanic front between the active YSWC
and YSCC (Xiang et al., 2008; Li et al., 2009, 2014; Dong et al.,
2011) might have decreased the Huanghe supply to the study area
(Li et al., 2014) and the southwest Cheju Island mud (Hu et al.,
2014), at least for the coarse-sized particulates (Fig. 6). In the late
Holocene, most of the Huanghe-derived sediments were transported southward by the strong YSCC (Fig. 7c) and dominated sedimentation on the Jiangsu coastal plain (Yang et al., 2002b; Liu
et al., 2010b; Zhang et al., 2012). However, some clay-sized materials from the Huanghe, Korea rivers, and sea bed might enter into
the study area (Li et al., 2014; Wang et al., 2014; Fig. 3) and nearby
regions (Xu et al., 2009a; Liu et al., 2010a,b; Kim et al., 2013). The
influence from the Huanghe was more obvious when the Old
Huanghe estuary shifted into the SYS at 1128–1855 AD (Kim
et al., 2013; Hu et al., 2014; Fig. 3). Accordingly, the establishment
of modern surface water circulation with the dominance of the
YSWC and the YSCC was accompanied by compositional changes
in Unit 1 sediments. In contrast, as estuary shift, sea-level fluctuation, and monsoon climate change during this unit occurred at a
much lesser degree than during previous units (Liu et al., 2004,
2007b; Xue et al., 2004; Wang et al., 2008), their influences on
the riverine supply were thus also weakened.
D. Lim et al. / Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 105 (2015) 18–31
5. Conclusions
Through comprehensive research and comparisons of compositions of grain size, clay minerals, REEs, and conservative trace elements in different units of cores EZ06-1, EZ06-2, and EZ06-6 from
the eastern part of the CYSM in the YS, this study examined variations in detrital sediment provenances and transport processes
related to regional paleoenvironmental changes over the last
14.1 ka. The major conclusions we have drawn are summarized
as follows.
Compositions of all typical indices in the three study cores from
the eastern part of the CYSM deposition showed generally similar
downcore changes. Terrigenous sediments in the study area mainly
originated from the Huanghe and/or the Changjiang, supplied by
fluvial discharges and distributed by regional oceanic circulation.
Meanwhile, sea bed erosion also had important contributions to
the lower coarse sediments. Furthermore, the upper fine sediments
might be limitedly derived from clay-sized particulates of Korea
rivers. The contributions of these sources changed over time,
characterized by a four-phase pattern composed of Unit 4 (14.1
to 11.3 ka), Unit 3 (11.3 to 9.0 ka), Unit 2 (9.0–4.8 ka), and
Unit 1 (<4.8 ka). Units 4 and 2 originated from both the Huanghe,
sea bed erosion, and the Changjiang, although the Huanghe and
sea bed erosion contributed to a greater degree in Unit 4. As to
Unit 3 sediments, they were mainly derived from the Huanghe
and sea bed erosion. Unit 1 samples largely came from the
Changjiang and partly from the Huanghe, sea bed erosion, and
Korea rivers. Particularly, the shift on the Old Huanghe estuary into
the SYS at 1128–1855 AD led to the relatively enhanced influence
from the river to cores EZ06-1 and EZ06-6. Among the potential
controlling factors on detrital sediment provenance changes in
the study area during Units 4–2, shifts of paleo-river mouths, tidal
stress, and the monsoon climate should be important, followed by
sea-level fluctuation. However, oceanic circulation evolution had
only very limited influence during the late stage of Unit 2. In
Unit 1, the final formation of the modern surface water circulation
system with the dominance of the YSWC and the YSCC mainly controlled riverine supply to the CYSM, while the importance of estuary shift, tidal stress, sea-level fluctuation, and monsoon climate
change was significantly weakened.
Acknowledgements
We wish to thank two anonymous reviewers and Editor M.
Santosh for thorough and constructive comments on the manuscript, by which it was greatly improved. This study was supported
by the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Korea
(PE99334), the strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese
Academy of Sciences (XDA11030104), the National Natural
Science Foundation of China (41106043 and 41376064), and the
China Scholarship Council (2014_3012). We thank the Library of
Marine Sample, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology
for supplying the samples. The English in this manuscript has been
checked by at least two professional editors, both native speakers
of English. For a certificate, please see: http://www.textcheck.com/certificate/4hQk4G.
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