Tectonic evolution and dynamics of deepwater area of Pearl River Mouth basin, northern South China Sea

Abstract

Quantitative studies on the evolution and dynamics of the deepwater area of Pearl River Mouth basin (PRMB) were carried out based on the latest geological and seismic data. The study area is generally in an extensional state during the Cenozoic. The major extension happened in the earlier syn-rift stages before 23 Ma and the extension after 23 Ma is negligible. Two rapid subsidence periods, 32–23 Ma and 5.3–2.6 Ma, are identified, which are related to the abrupt heat decay during margin breakup and the collision between the Philippine Sea plate and the Eurasian plate, respectively. The strongest crustal thinning in the Baiyun (白云) sag may trigger the syn-rift volcanism along the weak faulted belt around the sag. The Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the study area could be divided into five stages: rifting (∼50–40 Ma), rift-drift transition (∼40–32 Ma), early post-breakup (∼32–23 Ma), thermal subsidence (∼23–5.3 Ma) and neotectonic movement (∼5.3–0 Ma).

Keywords

Pearl River Mouth basin / South China Sea / tectonic evolution / dynamic mechanism / stretching factor

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