An Anomalous Seamount on the Southwestern Mid-Ridge of the South China Sea

Objective The development of continental rifting and seafloor spreading can be predominated by magmatic upwelling （magma-rich） or tectonic stretching （magma-poor）. Located in the terminal portion of propagating seafloor spreading of the South China Sea （SCS）, the southwestern mid-ridge of the southwest sub-basin （SWSB） of the SCS was found with much thin crust and numerous faulted blocks coupling with magma-poor continental margins along its flanks. Therefore, the southwestern part of the SWSB is most likely to be a tectonic-dominated basin. To justify the hypothesis with further evidence, we investigated the nature of seamounts on the southwestern mid-ridge of the SWSB which may inherit seafloor spreading.