Zhang, Jinpeng;
Ren, Yingzhi;
Sheng, Chong;
Clift, Peter D;
Yang, Bin;
Xie, Dehao;
Zhang, Jinwei;
... Tu, Gongping; + view all
(2025)
Fossil diatoms and their significance for paleoenvironment construction on the shelf of Northern South China Sea.
Geo-Marine Letters
, 45
(2)
, Article 18. 10.1007/s00367-025-00806-8.
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Abstract
The analysis of fossil diatoms preserved in continental shelf sediments can provide detailed insights into the paleoecological and environmental history of marginal seas. In this study, we consider the development of the northern South China Sea based on a 302-m-long drilling core taken on the outer continental shelf. Diatoms were absent in more than half of the analyzed samples, a relatively low absolute abundance, so that a diatom-based biostratigraphy could not be established. The low absolute abundance suggests that diatom preservation was poor because of highly dynamic oceanographic conditions and significant biosilica dissolution. The dominance of coastal species and the intermittent presence of mostly tropical open-sea diatoms along the core reflects strong land-sea interactions and a current circulation influenced by sea-level fluctuations, following the glacial and interglacial cycles of the Quaternary period. This study provides clues concerning the evaluation of diatom fossils in micropaleontology, as well as their role in biogeochemical cycles within complex sedimentary processes across various marginal sea shelves.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Fossil diatoms and their significance for paleoenvironment construction on the shelf of Northern South China Sea |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s00367-025-00806-8 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s00367-025-00806-8 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
| Keywords: | Diatom; Biosilica dissolution; Pearl River; Paleoceanography; Quaternary |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > Dept of Earth Sciences |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10209119 |
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