Morphology and internal architecture of a banner bank off Chengshan Headland, Shandong Peninsula

A banner bank off the north coast of the Chengshan Headland, Shandong Peninsula, has been described on the basis of echo sounder bathymetry, side-scan sonar and high-resolution seismic data sets. The bank is in NWW direction, approximately parallel to the coastline. The bank consists of sandy silt or clayed silt. Sand waves and megaripples are observed on the north side, which result from strong tidal currents around the headland and storm waves in winter. These bed forms indicate that the bank is influenced by the modern hydrodynamics. The bank is separated from the coast and Holocene subaqueous clinoform around the Shandong Peninsula in its east part. High-resolution seismic profiles reveal that the bank was formed during two periods： the earlier seismic unit Ua, and later seismic units Ub and Uc which overlays Ua with erosional surfaces on its south side and north side, respectively. As comparing with the clinoform, the bank has a different internal architecture. In the west of the bank, however, topography and surface sediment characteristics suggest that the bank links to the clinoform. The authors propose that seismic Ua is a residual part of early clinoform deposit. After the sediments in the north and south of Ua were eroded by strong currents, the Ub and Uc started to deposit probably by a complex hydrodynamic process. These results provide new insights into the evolution of the bank and its relation with the Holocene subqueous clinoform.