中文摘要：

深水沉积物波的研究始于20世纪50年代。根据成因和结构特征，可以将深水沉积物波划分为细粒底流、细粒浊流、粗粒底流和粗粒浊流等类型。不同类型的沉积物波具有不同的形态、物质组成及分布特征。已提出的深水沉积物波的形成模式主要有背流波模式、逆行沙波模式、内波模式及底形和斜坡失稳混合模式等。1994年太阳号95航次和1999年ODP184航次揭示并证实，南海北部东沙岸外1144站所处的深水陆坡区发育有一高速沉积物牵引体。根据最新的地震资料分析发现，该牵引体实际上由一系列逆陆坡向上倾方向迁移的沉积物波组成，这一发现对于南海北部大陆边缘古海洋、古环境和古气候研究，以及南海深水油气勘探具有重要意义。

英文摘要：

Research on deep-water sediment waves was initiated in the 1950＇s. So far, significant progress has been achieved. It is been known that deep-water sediment waves are generated mainly by bottom currents or turbidity currents. Four main catalogues of deep-water sediment waves have been recognized according to their grain size of component sediments and formation processes： fine-grained bottom current sediment waves, coarse-grained bot- tom current sediment waves, fine-grained turbidity current sediment waves, and coarse-grained turbidity current sediment waves. Models presented for the formation of deep-water sediment waves include lee-wave model, anti- dune model, internal wave model and mixed bedform and failure model. Newly-acquired high-resolution seismic data revealed that the sediment drift with high deposition rates on the slope offshore Dongsha Islands, northern South China Sea was actually composed of a series of sediment waves migrated upslope. This finding is of great significance not only to the reconstruction of paleoceanography, paleoenvironment, paleo-tectonics, and paleoclimate, but also to deep-water petroleum exploration in the South China Sea.