<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>The coastal sediments of the South Yellow Sea (SYS) provide a record of regional land– sea interactions. This study investigated the applicability of optical dating, using coarse-grained quartz, to provide a chronology of these sediments. A 150-m-long drilling core (YZ07) was retrieved from the southwest coast of the SYS on the northern flank of the Yangtze River delta. Overall, 28 samples extracted from the upper 50 m of core YZ07 were investigated. Preheat plateau and dose recovery tests were conducted. The optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) signals were typical of quartz and they were dominated by fast components. The spread in measured equivalent doses (D<sub>e</sub>s) for each sample was generally consistent with the OSL signals being fully reset before deposition. The OSL ages generally increased with depth and indicated a 24-ka sedimentary record for the upper 50 m of the core. The age–depth relationship revealed two distinct sedimentary periods: (1) very slow sedimentation or even a depositional hiatus from the last glacial maximum (LGM) to the early Holocene (~24 to 8 ka); (2) very fast sedimentation at a rate of ~6 m/ka during the middle to late Holocene (since ~8 ka). It is speculated that sedimentation within the study area since the LGM might have been related to sea level change, delta initiation, and incised-valley fill processes.</p></abstract>

The coastal sediments of the South Yellow Sea (SYS) provide a record of regional land– sea interactions. This study investigated the applicability of optical dating, using coarse-grained quartz, to provide a chronology of these sediments. A 150-m-long drilling core (YZ07) was retrieved from the southwest coast of the SYS on the northern flank of the Yangtze River delta. Overall, 28 samples extracted from the upper 50 m of core YZ07 were investigated. Preheat plateau and dose recovery tests were conducted. The optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) signals were typical of quartz and they were dominated by fast components. The spread in measured equivalent doses (Des) for each sample was generally consistent with the OSL signals being fully reset before deposition. The OSL ages generally increased with depth and indicated a 24-ka sedimentary record for the upper 50 m of the core. The age–depth relationship revealed two distinct sedimentary periods: (1) very slow sedimentation or even a depositional hiatus from the last glacial maximum (LGM) to the early Holocene (~24 to 8 ka); (2) very fast sedimentation at a rate of ~6 m/ka during the middle to late Holocene (since ~8 ka). It is speculated that sedimentation within the study area since the LGM might have been related to sea level change, delta initiation, and incised-valley fill processes.

High-resolution OSL dating of a coastal sediment sequence from the South Yellow Sea

State key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGLAS), Nanjing 210008,

University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049,

MOE Key Laboratory of Coastal and Island Development, Nanjing University (NJU), Nanjing 210093,

Geochronometria

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

The coastal sediments of the South Yellow Sea (SYS) provide a record of regional land– sea interactions. This study investigated the applicability of optical...

High-resolution OSL dating of a coastal sediment sequence from the South Yellow Sea

Published Online: Dec 30, 2016

Page range: 143 - 154

Received: Jan 30, 2016

Accepted: Oct 27, 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/geochr-2015-0044

Keywords
OSL dating, coastal sediment sequence, South Yellow Sea, Yangtze River delta, sea level change, LGM

© L. Gao.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

High-resolution OSL dating of a coastal sediment sequence from the South Yellow Sea

Published Online: Dec 30, 2016

Page range: 143 - 154

Received: Jan 30, 2016

Accepted: Oct 27, 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/geochr-2015-0044

KeywordsOSL dating, coastal sediment sequence, South Yellow Sea, Yangtze River delta, sea level change, LGM

© L. Gao.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
OSL dating, coastal sediment sequence, South Yellow Sea, Yangtze River delta, sea level change, LGM