Earth's surface responses during geodynamic evolution: Numerical insight from the southern East China Sea Continental Shelf Basin, West Pacific

Abstract The interaction between the Earth's surface and deep geodynamic processes has a great influence on sedimentary patterns and characteristics of sedimentary systems, especially in the continental margin, such as the southern part of the East China Sea Continental Shelf Basin (ECSCSB). However, the exact processes and dynamics are poorly understood. The numerical tool (Badlands) was adopted to simulate the geological evolution of the southern ECSCSB during the Mesozoic transitional regime of the West Pacific continental margin, between 200 and 100 Ma. The numerical model involving four-dimensional (4D) sequence stratigraphy was validated by comparing with the tectono-morphology, sedimentary environments and sediment distribution. According to our findings, the transition was mainly controlled by three structural stages. The first transitional stage of the southern ECSCSB was mainly controlled by lithospheric-scale tectonic evolution. In the second stage, the dynamic topography contributed to slow regional uplift, while the last stage showed mantle-induced dynamic subsidence. The model results on 4D geomorphic characteristics, sediment distribution of basin evolution and deep dynamic topography, provided a quantitative image for geological evolution of the West Pacific continental margin in the Mesozoic.