Depositional environment since Late Pleistocene (113.96 ka) in the northwestern Bohai Bay and its indications to transgression and tectogenesis

This paper is the result of maring geological survey engineering. Objective The northwest of Bohai Bay is an area where the depositional environment changes frequently in North China Plain and is also the main depressed area of the neotectonics. Strengthening the stratigraphic research since Late Pleistocene in Northwestern Bohai Bay and analyzing the evolution process of the depositional environment is of great significance to the study of sea-level change and subsidence of coastal areas.MethodBased on the three full coring boreholes QLT03, QEJ01 and NHG14 in the northwest coast of Bohai Bay, and by integrating the lithostratigraphic and biostratigraphic methods, AMS¹⁴C and optical stimulated luminescence dating are used to compare and analyze the collection boreholes in the adjacent area, discussing the depositional environment and its indications to transgression and tectogenesissince late Quaternary in the study area.ResultThe results show that early Late Pleistocene of the study area is the development period of delta plain and fluvio-lacustrine facies, the middle is the development period of floodplain-lacustrine facies and delta plain, the late is the development period of meandering stream- floodplain facies, and Holocene is the development period of delta plain- flood plain. The study area develops three phases of transgressive strata from bottom to top, namely, the third transgressive layer in early Late Pleistocene, the second transgressive layer in late Late Pleistocene and the first transgressive layer in Holocene. The scale of transgression has gradually strengthened from the ancient to the present. The transgressive layers in each phase are more consistent with the global sea level change and have good correspondence with the high sea level in MIS5, MIS3 and MIS1 phases from bottom to top. There has been differential subsidence movement in the study area since Late Pleistocene, and the differential movement has slowed down in Holocene.Conclusion Under the background of continuous tectonic subsidence, large-scale marine transgressions in the coastal area of Bohai Bay have all occurred since Late Pleistocene. These transgressions are related to the long-term subsidence process in the southeastern area of Tianjin along the coast of Bohai Bay, and the subsidence center moved from Bamencheng Town of Baodi District to Chadian Town of Hangu District. After entering Holocene, the tectonic activity weakened and the differential subsidence movement was not obvious. The late Quaternary stratigraphic development and depositional environment evolution in the coastal areas of Bohai Bay are controlled by sea level changes.