Oceanographical and Geological Background -- Stratigraphy and Sea Level Changes -- Sedimentology -- Upper Water Structure and Paleo-Monsoon5 -- Deep Waters and Oceanic Connection -- Biogeochemistry and the Carbon Reservoir -- History of the South China Sea - A Synthesis. This book is the first synthesis of sedimentary geology and paleoceanography of the South China Sea on the basis of extensive industrial explorations and scientific expeditions culminated with the ODP Leg 184. It provides up-to-date knowledge about the history of this largest marginal sea in the West Pacific, deep-sea records of evolution and variations of the East Asian monsoon, and geological backgrounds of the off-shore petroleum basins. With its focus on paleoceanography and sedimentology, this volume provides a comprehensive all-round view of the marginal sea basin, from modern oceanography to sequence stratigraphy. The South China Sea: Paleoceanography and Sedimentology is essential reading for advanced students and researchers working in marine geology, basin evolution, sedimentology, paleoceanography and related fields.