SNOWS-3: Deep Seismic Survey of the Offshore Canning Basin

AGSO's SNOWS-3 survey aimed to acquire at least 3000 km of high-quality deep seismic data in the offshore Canning Basin in late 1993. The program was part of a multi-cruise initiative to map the deep crustal structure of Australia's southern North West Shelf for hydrocarbon exploration. Data from earlier surveys, SNOWS-1 and SNOWS-2, showed basin structures down to depths of 10-12 seconds two-way time.

Use Cases

• Modeling regional crustal structure based on deep seismic reflection data.
• Assessing structural controls on hydrocarbon field development mentioned in the description.
• Correlating seismic stratigraphy using tie lines to exploration wells.
• Analyzing the reactivation of deep structures and their depositional effects.

Strengths

• Part of a systematic program with at least 3000 km of planned data acquisition.
• Earlier surveys (SNOWS-1, SNOWS-2) recorded over 4454 km of data and tied to 20+ exploration wells.
• Designed to tie principal exploration wells and link with adjacent regional surveys.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data freshness should be verified; the report describes a 1993 survey plan.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, originating from the Australian Geological Survey Organisation (AGSO).

Collection Method

Marine seismic acquisition using a 4800 m streamer and tuned airgun arrays.

Time Range

Survey planned for the second half of 1993.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-04 07:20:44.826094; freshness should be verified

Geography

Offshore Canning Basin, southern North West Shelf of Australia.