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Late Quaternary Landform Development of the Kanto Plain

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Tokyo as a Global City

Part of the book series: International Perspectives in Geography ((IPG,volume 8))

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Abstract

The Kanto Plain is the tectonically active setting of the Tokyo metropolitan area. It is characterized by widespread uplands, consisting of Pleistocene fluvial, marine sediment, tephra layers, and narrow lowlands filled with thick Holocene alluvium. This landscape owes its origin to the interaction of basin-forming movements, eustasy, erosion, and sedimentation during the Quaternary Period. Marine transgressions in marine isotope stages (MIS) 11, 9, and 5.5 repeatedly overlapped the land, producing Paleo Tokyo Bay, with its wide mouth facing the Pacific Ocean to the east. In contrast, the Holocene (MIS 1) marine transgression was limited to the river valleys incised since MIS 4, and instead of Paleo Tokyo Bay, Modern Tokyo Bay has appeared. Modern Tokyo Bay, which opens to the south, resulted from the combination of: (1) a lower sea level in MIS 1 than in MIS 5.5; (2) tectonic uplift of the Kanto Plain, especially the east side; and (3) the accumulation of fluvial sediment and tephra since MIS 5.4.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Natural Environmental Studies, Faculty of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, 277-8563, Chiba, Japan

    Toshihiko Sugai

  2. Toshimagaoka-Joshigakuen, Toshima-ku, 170-0013, Tokyo, Japan

    Hiroko Matsushima (Ogami)

  3. Renewable Energy Research Center, AIST, Koriyama, 963-0298, Fukushima, Japan

    Takeshi Ishihara

Authors
  1. Toshihiko Sugai
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  2. Hiroko Matsushima (Ogami)
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  3. Takeshi Ishihara
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Correspondence to Toshihiko Sugai .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Urban Environmental Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Hachiohji, Tokyo, Japan

    Toshio Kikuchi

  2. Department of Natural Environmental Studies, Faculty of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan

    Toshihiko Sugai

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Sugai, T., Matsushima (Ogami), H., Ishihara, T. (2018). Late Quaternary Landform Development of the Kanto Plain. In: Kikuchi, T., Sugai, T. (eds) Tokyo as a Global City. International Perspectives in Geography, vol 8. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-7638-1_1

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