Deepwater Gippsland Basin Rock and Sediment Samples from 1998 Research Cruise

18 dredge hauls were recovered from the deepwater Gippsland Basin during the 1998 R/V Franklin Cruise FR 11/98. The study provides lithology, age, and paleo-environment information for the basin, categorizing samples into volcanics, volcaniclastics, and calcareous sediments. The dataset is hosted by the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Use Cases

• Classifying rock lithologies based on described categories like basalt, hyaloclastite, and calcareous ooze.
• Modeling paleoenvironmental conditions during the Late Cretaceous and Neogene periods based on sediment descriptions.
• Analyzing the spatial distribution of volcanic rocks and labile sediments relative to described water depths and tectonic features.
• Correlating dredge sample ages with regional tectonic events like the Tasman Sea rifting phase.

Strengths

• Provides information on 18 distinct dredge hauls from a specific 1998 research cruise.
• Samples are categorized into four broad lithological and age groups with detailed descriptions.
• Dredge sites were selected based on seismic reflection profiles and morphological features.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The dataset description mentions rocks are not directly dated, with ages being probable or hypothesized.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Dredge hauls recovered during R/V Franklin research cruise FR 11/98 in 1998, sited using seismic reflection profiles.

Time Range

Sample ages range from probable Late Cretaceous (Turonian to Coniacian, ~90-86 Ma) to Quaternary/Holocene.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06 27 17:25:23.275132; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Deepwater Gippsland Basin, east of the Gippsland Rise (~149°30'E), with specific station water depths from 680m to 3800m.