Ashmore Reef Sedimentology and Coral Growth During Holocene Sea Level Rise

Ashmore Reef sedimentological data derived from 12 vibro-cores through algal-foraminiferal sand and coral across a bioturbated platform. Carbon dating of lagoonal sediment facies indicates dates ranging from 970 to 2020 BP, revealing a major bio-facies change as sea level stabilized around 2000 BP. The dataset is provided by the Australian Ocean Data Network and was last updated in April 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling reef growth phases based on the post-glacial relative sea level curve and the One Tree Reef model.
• Analyzing sediment composition and infill rates based on described components like Halimeda sp., coral fragments, and foraminifera.
• Studying bio-facies changes from coral columns to algal-dominated reef crests based on carbon-dated sediment facies.
• Investigating the influence of seasonal oceanic currents (Indian Ocean, Indonesian-Through-Flow) on reef morphology and sediment transport.

Strengths

• Data is anchored to a specific geological model and sea level curve for the past 11,000 years.
• Includes carbon-dated facies changes with dates ranging from 970 to 2020 BP.
• Based on a series of 12 vibro-cores providing physical samples across the reef platform.

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

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Visual reef examination augmented with vibro-coring and carbon dating of sediment facies.

Time Range

Holocene, with specific carbon dates ranging from approximately 970 to 2020 years before present.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-10 21:34:52.481039; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Ashmore Reef, at the transition zone of the Browse and Bonaparte Basins, Australian shelf-edge.