AGSO Cruise 210: Swath-Mapping Survey off Eastern Tasmania and Gippsland Basin

From 10 to 17 April 1997, the Australian Geological Survey Organisation chartered the R.V. Melville to map the sea bed east and northeast of Tasmania. The survey used SeaBeam 2000 multibeam sonar, a magnetometer, and a gravity meter to determine seafloor morphology and character. The data was intended to aid tectonic, basin, and sedimentological studies, as well as the fishing industry.

Use Cases

• Model tectonic plate boundaries based on seafloor morphology data.
• Plan future seismic profiling and geological sampling campaigns based on the detailed bathymetric maps.
• Identify potential fishing grounds based on sea bed character and roughness.
• Conduct sedimentological studies using the high-resolution bathymetric profiles.

Strengths

• Survey navigation used military standard GPS with an accuracy of about 5 meters.
• The SeaBeam 2000 system mapped a swath width 3.5 times the water depth, providing broad coverage.

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Seafloor mapping cruise using multibeam sonar, magnetometer, and gravity meter.

Time Range

10 to 17 April 1997

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-14 03:30:03.585202; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Sea bed east and northeast of Tasmania, including the deep water part of the Gippsland Basin.