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Exploring the vertical accretion of ornithogenic sediments from the Xisha Islands, South China Sea, by seabird subfossils
Author(s) -
Xu Liqiang,
Zhao Jinjun,
Wu Libin,
Chen Lin,
Liu Xiaodong
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of quaternary science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.142
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1099-1417
pISSN - 0267-8179
DOI - 10.1002/jqs.3062
Subject(s) - guano , geology , radiocarbon dating , holocene , seabird , oceanography , accretion (finance) , deposition (geology) , geochronology , deglaciation , geochemistry , paleontology , archaeology , sediment , geography , physics , astrophysics , predation
Reef islands of the Xisha Islands, South China Sea, were formed during the mid–late Holocene. However, the vertical accretion of ornithogenic sediments of the islands is not well understood owing to a lack of precise dating. Here we present an analysis of seven of the Xisha Islands, and reconstruct their accumulation history based on radiocarbon analysis of seabird subfossils. From Clam‐based age–depth models, a universal development mode of the Xisha Islands is hypothesized. The mean accumulation rate of guano sediments on the Xisha Islands in the late Holocene was 1.02 ± 0.42 mm a −1 . The sum of the deposition rate of coral sands and the rate of ornithogenic accumulation is lower than or close to the current rate of sea level rise in the Xisha Islands, implying a potential threat to the islands’ safety. This study also provides robust evidence for a sequence of island development associated with seabirds.