Early Holocene Coral Reef Growth and Submergence in the Gulf of Carpentaria

Early Holocene (10.5 to 8.0 kyr BP) data on a newly discovered coral reef province in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia. The dataset, from Geoscience Australia, includes multibeam sonar mapping, drill core samples, and underwater video confirming at least seven reefs. It contains measurements of reef growth rates and U/Th ages documenting a 'give up' growth history due to rapid sea-level rise.

Use Cases

• Modeling reef growth rates against sea-level rise based on the reported 0.95 to 4 m kyr-1 measurements.
• Mapping paleo-sea-level stands based on the depths of exposed Pleistocene limestone (27-30 m below present sea level).
• Analyzing the temporal distribution of reef colonization and cessation using the U/Th ages spanning ~2.0 kyr.
• Identifying potential reef locations based on the description of up to 50 other possible reefs in the region.

Strengths

• Includes multiple data modalities: multibeam sonar, drill cores, and underwater video for validation.
• Provides specific temporal bounds for reef growth (commenced ~10.5 kyr BP, ceased ~8.0 kyr BP).
• Contains quantified growth rate measurements (0.95 to 4 m kyr-1) and sea-level rise context (>10 m kyr-1).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the specific study region in the Gulf of Carpentaria.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Multibeam sonar mapping, drill core sampling, underwater video, and U/Th dating.

Time Range

~10.5 to 8.0 thousand years before present (kyr BP)

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-30 12:35:26.530582; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia