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Journal of Tropical Oceanography >

2016 , Vol. 35 >Issue 1: 17 - 30

DOI: https://doi.org/10.11978/2014121

Marine Geology

Geodynamic results of scientific ocean drilling in the western Pacific

  • SONG Xiaoxiao ,
  • LI Chunfeng
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  • 1. State Key Laboratory of Marine Geology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China;
    2. Institute of Marine Geology and Resources, Ocean College, Zhejiang University, Zhoushan 316021, China

Received date: 2014-10-19

  Online published: 2016-02-02

Supported by

Doctoral Scientific Fund Project of the Ministry of Education (20100072110036); Key Project of Natural Science Foundation of China (91028007, 91428309)

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Abstract

With extensive development of marginal basins and subduction zones, the western Pacific is a key area in scientific ocean drilling. This paper intends to show the current status of scientific ocean drilling and discuss potential future breakthroughs, through summarizing scientific ocean drilling results in geodynamics over the past 40 years in the western Pacific. Drilling results documented the evolution of the marginal basins, including the Japan Sea, the Philippine Sea and the South China Sea. Deep sea sediments and geochemical analysis of basalts provided important information for evolution of basins and mantle processes. Ocean drilling results verified that the dip of a subducting slab not only has an effect on dynamic mechanism of the subduction factory but also controls plate coupling at the subduction zone. A record depth of 3056 mbsf had been drilled into the forearc of Nankai Trough subduction zone and retrieval of rock samples from the seismogenic zone is expected in the next few years. Ocean drilling results support more than one hypothesis of formation of the oceanic plateaus in the western Pacific, including the Shatsky Rise and the Ontong Java Plateau. Pelagic brown claystone occurred in the southwestern Pacific marginal basin, and it’s formation was controlled by seafloor spreading. In both the South China Sea and the Celebes Sea, pelagic brown claystone lie directly above the basement basalt units. Because of the structural complexity and diversity of the western Pacific, many scientific problems still need to be resolved despite a large number of ocean drilling expeditions.

Key words： the western Pacific; IODP; marginal basin; subduction zone; oceanic basalt; deep-sea sediment

Cite this article

SONG Xiaoxiao , LI Chunfeng . Geodynamic results of scientific ocean drilling in the western Pacific[J]. Journal of Tropical Oceanography, 2016 , 35(1) : 17 -30 . DOI: 10.11978/2014121

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