BMR Cruise 067: Otway Basin and West Tasmanian Geological Samples

130 sampling stations were occupied during a 29-day research cruise in early 1987 aboard the R.V. Rig Seismic. Scientists from the Australian Ocean Data Network recovered Paleozoic to Quaternary rocks and sediments, alongside heatflow measurements, to assess petroleum potential. Headspace gas analyses indicate widespread thermogenic hydrocarbons across the Otway Basin and west Tasmanian margin.

Use Cases

• Modeling hydrocarbon maturation zones based on heatflow calculations from 20 stations.
• Developing regional sedimentation models based on a great variety of Quaternary sediments.
• Mapping geological age distribution down the continental slope based on Paleozoic to Tertiary rock samples.
• Assessing petroleum source rock distribution based on widespread thermogenic hydrocarbon readings.

Strengths

• Data from 130 sampling stations provides spatial coverage.
• Samples were taken along seismic profiles for easy integration into regional frameworks.
• Analysis includes multiple data types: geological, geochemical, and heatflow.

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 2026-06-27.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Samples collected using dredges, corers, grabs, and a heatflow probe aboard R.V. Rig Seismic.

Time Range

Early 1987

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-27 19:55:23.712539; freshness should be verified

Geography

Otway Basin and Sorell Basin of the west Tasmanian margin.