Stratigraphy of Cenozoic sequences in offshore Taiwan
Reporter: Yang-Chen Chen
Abstract
Cenozoic sediments with a thickness up to 8,000 m were deposited in the southern East China Sea and Taiwan Strait off north and west Taiwan , respectively. These deposits primarily consist of nonmarine and shallow marine clastics with a lesser amount of volcanic clastics unconformably overlying basements consisting of Cretaceous clastics, Jurassic volcanic rocks, Mesozoic metamorphic rocks and complexes. Seismic-stratigraphic studies indicate Cenozoic strata to be divided into four major seismic sequences. A three stage tectonic cycle of pre-rift, syn-rift and post-rift has controlled the sedimentation of the Cenozoic sediments. Strata of Paleogene sequence, which are mainly restricted to wedge-shaped half grabens and grabens, were formed in the syn-rift stage. These infilled Paleogene grabens in turn were completely covered by the late Tertiary and younger sediments which accumulated during the post-rift stage.
References
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