Abstract:
The source-to-sink process in marine sediments is a critical link connecting terrestrial weathering, oceanic dynamics, and global climate change, and plays a vital role in reconstructing paleoenvironmental evolution.This paper reviews the transport processes of terrestrial and volcanic materials to the ocean and their control mechanisms.The transport of terrestrial materials is regulated by the lithology-climate-sea level-current system: the nature of the source rocks and climate conditions determine the output and physicochemical properties of the sediments by controlling weathering, sea level changes dominate the distance of sediment transport, and the current pattern determines the final distribution of the sediments. The input of volcanic materials is controlled by the intensity of volcanic activity, climate, hydrology and regional tectonic context. Recent advances in geochemical and mineralogical provenance techniques have significantly improved the identification of sediment sources. However, the field still faces methodological challenges in transitioning from qualitative assessments to quantitative reconstructions. Future research should focus on developing integrated, multidisciplinary approaches to enhance our understanding of the evolution of marine sedimentary source-to-sink systems.