Depositional and Geoacoustic Characteristics of Continental Shelf Strata in the Northeastern East China Sea

Abstract

This study will represent the depositional and geoacoustic characteristics of continental shelf strata in the northeastern limit area of the East China Sea. This work started from the Shallow Water Acoustic Variability Experiment in 2015 (SA VEX15) for providing bottom and geoacoustic models to fulfill the underwater acoustic simulation. SAVEX 15 is a joint ROK-US acoustic experiment for testing shallow water acoustic variability in the northeastern East China Sea. The experiment area is located between the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea of the epicontinental sea where experienced the dramatic sea­level changes during the Quaternary. The area is a low-gradient continental shelf in a water depth of ~100 m around 32°30 to 35N, 126°05 to 12E, about 70 km southwest of Cheju Island. In the study area. the pre-last glacial maximum (LGM) strata comprises incised channel fills and prograding deposits of fluvial. estuarine, or tidal origin. The postglacial transgression of the sea-level changes formed the paralic deposition of estuarine channel fills, wedge and mound, marine sand veneer, and mud blanket. This study will reveal the depositional characteristics of the continental shelf strata, based on closely spaced high-resolution seismic profiles (Chirp and Sparker) with piston/grab/box cores. The detailed seismic survey ( ~ 110 line-km of 8 lines) and coring work including 36 piston cores were fulfilled in thA VEX15) for providing bottom and geoacoustic models to fulfill the underwater acoustic simulation. SAVEX 15 is a joint ROK-US acoustic experiment for testing shallow water acoustic variability in the northeastern East China Sea. The experiment area is located between the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea of the epicontinental sea where experienced the dramatic sea­level changes during the Quaternary. The area is a low-gradient continental shelf in a water depth of ~100 m around 32°30 to 35N, 126°05 to 12E, about 70 km southwest of Cheju Island. In the study area. the pre-last glacial maximum (LGM) strata comprises incised channel fills and prograding deposits of fluvial. estuarine, or tidal origin. The postglacial transgression of the sea-level changes formed the paralic deposition of estuarine channel fills, wedge and mound, marine sand veneer, and mud blanket. This study will reveal the depositional characteristics of the continental shelf strata, based on closely spaced high-resolution seismic profiles (Chirp and Sparker) with piston/grab/box cores. The detailed seismic survey ( ~ 110 line-km of 8 lines) and coring work including 36 piston cores were fulfilled in th