Australian Seabed Sediment Properties for Over 15,000 Samples

Australian marine region sediment data extracted from Geoscience Australia's Marine Sediment Database. The dataset includes textural composition, particle size statistics, and calcium carbonate values for over 15,000 seabed samples, spanning from the coast to the deep ocean. It was made available by the Australian Ocean Data Network and last updated in June 2026.

Use Cases

• Seabed characterisation based on sediment textural composition and particle size distribution.
• Sediment transport modelling based on particle size statistics and sample locations.
• Habitat characterisation based on seabed sediment properties and water depth.
• Seabed engineering studies based on sediment texture and carbonate content.
• Fundamental geological research based on a continental-scale collection of marine sediment samples.

Strengths

• Contains data for over 15,000 seabed samples.
• Derived from a national database of approximately 2.6 million entries.
• Covers a continental-scale area matching the AusBathyTopo 250m 2023 grid.
• Includes multiple analytical properties like texture, particle size, and carbonate values.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia's Marine Sediment Database (MARS), via the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Collection Method

Extracted and collated from a larger online database to create a standalone dataset.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-04 07:15:04.547868; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Australian marine region, covering coast, continental shelf, slope, and deep ocean locations.