Taihu Lake, lower Yangtze drainage basin: evolution, sedimentation rate and the sea level

The present study focuses on two Holocene sediment boreholes in Taihu Lake, sunk to examine the lake sediment including sedimentary texture and structure, microfossils, magnetic susceptibility and radiocarbon-dated Holocene stratigraphy. Results demonstrate that the early Taihu Lake area consisted primarily of West Taihu Lake depression and a low floodplain in the East Taihu Lake area. No hydraulic connection existed between the two sectors during the early Holocene when sea level stood at lower level. Core sediments, microfossil and magnetic evidence records that West Taihu Lake began to be inundated by brackish water prior to 6000 years ago, while East Taihu Lake still remained a freshwater setting. After 6000 B.P., a further rise in freshwater table in response to sea-level fluctuation progressively drowned the entire lake, coalescing the two parts after 4600–3500 B.P.