AGSO Cruise 125: Swath-Mapping and Seismic Survey of the Tasman Sea

AGSO Cruise 125, conducted by Geoscience Australia, collected swath-mapping and reflection seismic data in the Tasman Sea off Tasmania in 1994 using the French research vessel L'Atalante. The cruise produced a suite of bathymetric maps at scales from 1:1,000,000 to 1:100,000, covering transit routes and detailed survey areas. Data includes ship tracks, sonar imagery, and contour maps.

Use Cases

• Analyze seafloor bathymetry based on detailed contour maps at 20m, 25m, and 50m intervals.
• Study geological structures based on reflection seismic data collected during the survey.
• Map specific fisheries areas off Tasmania based on the 1:100,000 scale maps with 20m contours.
• Visualize sonar imagery overlain on bathymetric contours for integrated seafloor interpretation.

Strengths

• Data collection spanned a defined period from February 12 to March 29, 1994.
• Maps were produced at multiple scales, including 1:250,000 for detailed survey areas and 1:1,000,000 for regional overview.
• The survey utilized the SIMRAD EM12D system, noted for its wide-angle swath-mapping capability.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data freshness should be verified; the last metadata update was 2026-05-14, but the data is from 1994.
• Row count and file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Swath-mapping and reflection seismic survey conducted from the research vessel L'Atalante.

Time Range

1994-02-12 to 1994-03-29

Geography

Tasman Sea, off the coast of Tasmania, with transits from Auckland to Adelaide.