Deep-Sea Sediments and Manganese Nodules from the Southern Tasman Sea, 1979

Geoscience Australia Data provides a dataset from a 1979 geological cruise in HMAS Kimble. It describes two manganese nodules and sediment samples recovered from five stations in the southern Tasman Sea, including specific metal content percentages. The data suggests potential nodule fields exist southeast of Gascoyne Seamount.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the geochemical composition of manganese nodules based on reported Ni, Cu, and Co percentages.
• Mapping the distribution of deep-sea sediments based on sample locations near Gascoyne Seamount.
• Studying the relationship between water depth and sediment type based on samples from 4300-5100 meters.
• Investigating the carbonate compensation depth in the region based on the reported 4500 m boundary.

Strengths

• Provides specific geochemical data for two nodules, including Ni (0.25%), Cu (0.17%), and Co (0.06%) content.
• Includes precise geographic context with sample depths ranging from 4300 to 5100 meters and a location 250 nautical miles SE of Sydney.
• Documents a specific sampling event from May 1979 with five stations occupied.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data may reflect geographic/temporal bias inherent to a single 1979 cruise.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Samples recovered via free-fall grab during a geological cruise on HMAS Kimble.

Time Range

May 1979

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-20 02:00:57.103092; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Southern Tasman Sea, near Gascoyne Seamount (250 n. miles SE of Sydney).