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. The data includes descriptions of two manganese nodules with specific metal contents and sediment samples from five stations in the southern Tasman Sea. The results suggest areas with potential for nodules with higher metal values.

Use Cases

• Analyze the composition of manganese nodules based on reported Ni, Cu, and Co percentages.
• Study sediment distribution based on descriptions of reddish brown clay and grey calcareous mud.
• Model the carbonate compensation depth in the region based on the reported 4500 m depth.
• Identify potential exploration zones for nodules based on inferred conditions of low sedimentation and oxidising environments.

Strengths

• Provides specific metal content percentages for two nodules (Ni 0.25%, Cu 0.17%, Co 0.06%).
• Includes precise depth information for sample locations, ranging from 4300 m to 5100 m.
• Contains a clear temporal and geographic context from a May 1979 cruise in the southern Tasman Sea.

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 grabs during a geological cruise on HMAS Kimble.

Time Range

May 1979

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-30 15:04:10.728301; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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