A 35-day cruise in early 1994 mapped 200,000 square kilometers of the continental margin off Tasmania and the adjacent abyssal plain using the R.V. L'Atalante's multibeam sonar system. The Australian Geological Survey Organisation (AGSO) conducted the survey, which started in Wellington on 16 January and finished in Adelaide on 27 February. The cruise collected bathymetric maps, acoustic imagery, seismic reflection, magnetic, gravity, and bathymetric profiles.
Use Cases
- Analyzing fault geometry and structural patterns based on high-resolution bathymetric maps and sonar images.
- Mapping sedimentary structures and patterns to elucidate Tertiary sedimentary history.
- Investigating the breakup history of Australia and Antarctica based on fracture zone trends in the abyssal plain.
- Defining Australia's Legal Continental Shelf boundaries based on detailed morphology data.
Strengths
- Survey covered 200,000 square kilometers, an area three times that of Tasmania.
- The SIMRAD EM12D system provided real-time bathymetric maps and acoustic imagery with a swath width of up to 20 km.
- Data includes multi-channel seismic reflection, magnetic, gravity, and bathymetric profiles for comprehensive geophysical analysis.
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
- Last updated 2026-05-05 03:07:46.842175; freshness should be verified.
Provenance
- Source
- Australian Ocean Data Network
- Collection Method
- Data collected via a dedicated 35-day swath-mapping cruise using the R.V. L'Atalante's SIMRAD EM12D multibeam sonar system.
- Time Range
- January 16 to February 27, 1994
- Geography
- Southern Otway Basin, Sorell Basin, South Tasman Rise, and adjacent abyssal plain off Tasmania, starting in Wellington and finishing in Adelaide.