The preliminary results of a comprehensive study of clay minerals (<2 µm) are presented for the upper 2 m.y. of sediments from Ocean Drilling Program Leg 184 Site 1146 from the northern margin of the South China Sea, close to the Pearl River mouth. More than 500 samples were analyzed, and four main mineral species are present: smectite, illite, chlorite, and kaolinite. On a general basis, illite + chlorite and smectite display anti-correlated behavior in relation to changes in the proportion of primary to secondary minerals in the sediment. Low-frequency and high-frequency changes are observed in the smectite/(illite + chlorite) ratio.
1Trentesaux, A., Liu, Z., Colin, C., Boulay, S., and Wang, P., 2003. Data report: Pleistocene paleoclimatic cyclicity of southern China: clay mineral evidence recorded in the South China Sea (ODP Site 1146). In Prell, W.L., Wang, P., Blum, P., Rea, D.K., and Clemens, S.C. (Eds.), Proc. ODP, Sci. Results, 184 [Online]. Available from World Wide Web: <http://www-odp.tamu.edu/publications/184_SR/210/210.htm>. [Cited YYYY-MM-DD]
2UMR PBDS du CNRS, FR 1818. Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille SN5, 59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq Cedex, France. Alain.trentesaux@univ-lille1.fr
3Laboratory of Marine Geology, MOE, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, People's Republic of China.
4Géochimie des Roches Sédimentaires, UMR CNRS-UPS Orsayterre, Université de Paris-Sud., Bat 504, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France.
Initial receipt: 12 September 2001
Acceptance: 19 December 2002
Web publication:
16 May 2003
Ms 184SR-210