Critical review of existing models for the origin of the South China Sea and a new proposed model

Abstract

Being the largest marginal sea in the western Pacific Ocean, South China Sea (SCS) has been brought into focus since 1970s due to the prolific biological resources and fossil energy preserved in the deep-sea area, particularly tectonic-controlled structures that determine basin sedimentation and hydrocarbon accumulation. Hence, it is of utmost importance to better understand the tectonic evolution and origin of SCS. This paper synthesizes three mainstream perspectives on the SCS sea floor spreading: (1) Eocene-Miocene plate collision-extrusion generated strike-slip faults pull apart SCS; (2) Late Oligocene-Miocene Proto-SCS subduction beneath NW Borneo along the margin caused slab-pulls, opening up proto-SCS; (3) Late Oligocene-mid Miocene lithospheric mantle flow upwelling facilitated further SCS spreading in an integrated model that combines their focal points and associates them together, having a comprehensive consideration in SCS tectonic evolution explanation.