Hydrocarbon Seepage Features on the Yampi Shelf, Northwest Australia

Active present-day hydrocarbon seepage has been imaged for the first time in Australia on the tropical carbonate Yampi Shelf, in 50 and 90 m water depth. The dataset from the Australian Ocean Data Network, last updated in 2026, characterizes seepage features like gas plumes, reflective blocks, pockmarks, and mounds, correlating them with sub-surface geophysical data.

Use Cases

• Modeling hydrocarbon migration pathways based on reactivated fractures and dykes described in the data.
• Analyzing the correlation between seabed features like pockmark fields and sub-surface seismic anomalies such as bright spots.
• Investigating the influence of macro-tidal cycles on seepage activity and intensity.
• Studying the preservation of seepage-related seabed features in high-energy, coarse bioclastic sediment environments.

Strengths

• First documented imaging of active hydrocarbon seepage on an Australian tropical carbonate shelf.
• Data integrates multiple feature types: gas plumes, seabed features (blocks, pockmarks, mounds), and sub-surface geophysical indicators.

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

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Imaging and characterization using geophysical data sets.

Time Range

Present-day (time of study).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-10 21:34:09.037748; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Yampi Shelf, Northwest Australia, in 50 and 90 m water depth.