1. INTRODUCTION: PINXIAN WANG and QIANYU LI

 

2. OCEANOGRAPHICAL AND GEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND: PINXIAN WANG and QIANYU LI

Bathymetry and geomorphology

Oceanography

Tectonic history and sedimentary basins

 

3. STRATIGRAPHY AND SEA LEVEL CHANGES: QIANYU LI, GUANGFA ZHONG and JUN TIAN

Lithostratigraphic overview

Biostratigraphic framework

Isotopic and astronomical stratigraphy

Stratigraphy of major shelf and slope basins

Regional sea level changes

Summary of South China Sea stratigraphy

 

4. SEDIMENTOLOGY: Zhifei Liu , Wei Huang , JIANRU LI , Pinxian wang, Rujian Wang, Kefu Yu, Jianxin Zhao

Surface deposition patterns

Terrigenous deposition

Biogenic deposition

Coral reefs

Volcanic deposition

Estimation of deposit mass since the Oligocene

 

5. UPPER WATER STRUCTURE AND PALEO-MONSOON: ZHIMIN JIAN, JUN TIAN, XIANGJUN SUN,

Sea surface temperature history

Thermocline depth history

Vegetation history in deep-sea record

Monsoon history

Summary

 

6. DEEP WATERS AND OCEANIC CONNECTION: QUANHONG ZHAO, QIANYU LI, ZHIMIN JIAN

Modern deep waters and their faunal features

Late Quaternary deep-water faunas and stable isotopes

Neogene and Oligocene deep-water benthic faunas from ODP Leg 184 sites

Deep water evolution: evidence from carbonate preservation and isotopes

Oceanic connection

Summary

 

7. BIOGEOCHEMISTRY AND THE CARBON RESERVOIR: MEIXUN ZHAO, PINXIAN WANG, JUN TIAN, JIANRU LI

Productivity and nutrient dynamics in the modern South China Sea

Paleoproductivity reconstrction of the South China Sea

Carbon reservoir changes

 

8. HISTORY OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA – SYNTHESIS: PINXIAN WANG and QIANYU LI

Evolution of the SCS Basin

Evolution of the East Asian Monsoon

Evolution of continent-ocean interactions