Cenozoic Volcanism of the Capel-Faust Basins: Seafloor Features and Ages

A recent Geoscience Australia survey identified at least two distinct ages of volcanic features on the seafloor of the Lord Howe Rise. Miocene-Pliocene cones (approximately 4-7 Ma) and older Eocene-Oligocene edifices were mapped using seismic data and swath bathymetry. The data was presented at the Australian Earth Sciences Convention in July 2010 and is hosted by the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Use Cases

• Modeling the spatial distribution of submarine volcanoes based on identified cones, flows, and sill-related features.
• Analyzing the temporal evolution of volcanism based on the distinct Miocene-Pliocene and Eocene-Oligocene age groups.
• Investigating seamount chain alignments and hotspot activity based on the described north-south and north-northwest trends.
• Studying seafloor erosion patterns around volcanic edifices based on the described surrounding moats.

Strengths

• Identifies at least two distinct volcanic age groups: Miocene-Pliocene (~4-7 Ma) and Eocene-Oligocene.
• Includes data on the Gifford Guyot (~18 Ma) and references multiple survey sources (s302, ZoNÉCo 5).
• Describes specific volcanic feature types: cones, flows, sill-related features, and seamounts.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Primary file formats are PDF and HTML, which may require extraction for computational analysis.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia, Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Survey data acquisition and analysis of seismic profiles (s302) and swath bathymetry.

Time Range

Features dated from Eocene-Oligocene to Miocene-Pliocene (approximately 4-7 Ma), with references to ~18 Ma and recent activity.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-10 16:52:27.020040; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Capel-Faust Basins, Northern Lord Howe Rise, Tasman Basin, southwest Pacific Ocean.