Triassic Reef Distribution: Northern Exmouth Plateau and Canning Basin

A 1990 research project by the Bureau of Mineral Resources (BMR) Marine Division proposed mapping Late Triassic reef complexes on Australia's Northwest Shelf. The dataset likely contains seismic profiles and dredge data aimed at assessing a new petroleum exploration play, with a BMR estimate suggesting a 50% chance of reefs hosting 60 million barrels of undiscovered oil. The work focuses on the northern Exmouth Plateau and Wombat Plateau, extending into the Canning and outer Bonaparte Basins.

Use Cases

• Mapping Triassic reef extent based on seismic character and parameters.
• Assessing undiscovered oil resource potential in carbonate shelf sequences.
• Planning future marine survey cruises for geological exploration.
• Correlating drilled Triassic carbonate sequences with seismic facies.

Strengths

• Based on specific research cruises and Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) core data, including Site 764.
• Includes a concrete resource estimate (60 million barrels) with associated probability.
• Project outlines a detailed two-phase methodology for assessment.

Limitations

• Dataset size, row count, column names, and license are not provided in any source.
• The data appears to be a project proposal from 1990, so its current state and availability are unclear.
• Sources are duplicate entries on the same platform, limiting independent verification.

Provenance

Source

Bureau of Mineral Resources (BMR) Marine Division, Australian Ocean Data Network.

Collection Method

Proposed acquisition of 2500 km of multichannel seismic profiles and approximately 15 dredges.

Time Range

Project proposed for early 1990; references Late Triassic geological periods.

Freshness

Last updated on data.gov.au: 2026-06-27.

Geography

Northern Exmouth Plateau, Wombat Plateau, Northwest Shelf of Australia, extending into Canning and outer Bonaparte Basins.