Bathymetry of the Western Australian Margin for MH370 Search

Geoscience Australia provides high-resolution sea floor mapping data collected for the underwater search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. Bathymetry survey vessels used multibeam sonar to scan the seabed in the southern Indian Ocean, revealing previously unknown terrain features. The dataset is hosted by the Australian Ocean Data Network and was last updated in April 2026.

Use Cases

• Model underwater terrain for navigation safety based on detailed bathymetric data
• Analyze seabed features for geological research based on high-resolution sonar mapping
• Plan subsea infrastructure routes based on sea floor depth and topology
• Visualize ocean floor topography for educational or operational purposes based on the described flythrough animation

Strengths

• Data was gathered with detailed, high-resolution multibeam sonar
• Revealed many seabed features for the first time in the search area
• Collection was specifically for ensuring safe and effective underwater search operations

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count and file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia, Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Months of sea scanning by survey vessels using multibeam sonar

Time Range

Data collection period is not specified, but related to the MH370 search initiated in 2014.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-10 16:39:14.928747; freshness should be verified

Geography

Southern Indian Ocean, specifically the western margin of Western Australia and the MH370 search area.