LAUSR

The sediment sources of the Yangtze Shoal were traced by analysing surface and core sediment particle size, detrital and clay minerals, carbon and nitrogen isotopes, and radioisotope dating. In the estuary, the sediments are dominated by silty clay, high stable mineral, and extremely high illite/chlorite. Stable organic carbon isotopes (δ13C-TOC) indicated a marine-dominated mixture. On the shoal, the sediments are mainly composed of fine sand, high unstable mineral. The δ13C-TOC indicated predominantly marine sedimentation. The average TOC of core sediments was ~0.26%, and the average TN was ~0.05%. The TOC/TN was 5.4–7.8, the δ13C-TOC was −19.8 to −22.1‰, and the age of the sediments spanned the last ~10.8 ka (Holocene). The sediments and provenance of the Yangtze Shoal have been controlled by the East Asian monsoon, sea level change, riverine sediment flux and ocean circulation. The intervals 8.3–6.3 ka and 3.8–1.5 ka, are characterized by Yangtze River sources, whereas 6.3–3.8 ka and 1.5–0.8 ka, are characterized by a source mixture with Yellow River input. Tracing the multiple sources effectively confirms the hypothesis that the southern Yangtze Shoal was a delta formed by combined sedimentation from the Yangtze River and Yellow River during times of low sea level.