Distribution of Triassic Reefs in Northern Exmouth Plateau and Offshore Canning Basin

A 1990 research project by BMR's Marine Division to map Triassic and Jurassic reef complexes for petroleum potential. The project involved a 34-day cruise to acquire 2500 km of seismic profiles, 15 dredges, and up to 5 cores. It aimed to define the extent, character, and petroleum prospects of reef plays on Australia's Northwest Shelf.

Use Cases

• Mapping reef extent and facies changes based on seismic profiling and dredging techniques described.
• Assessing petroleum trap potential based on the identified Triassic reef complexes.
• Evaluating source rock potential based on described lagoonal facies within reef systems.
• Extending seismic character knowledge to other basins like the outer Bonaparte Basin as mentioned in the project goals.

Strengths

• Project involved acquisition of 2500 km of multichannel seismic profiles.
• Aims to map a previously undiscovered reef type (first Triassic reef found in Australia).
• Includes specific quantitative goals: 15 dredges and up to 5 cores.

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Marine research cruise ('Rig Seismic') involving seismic profiling, dredging, and coring.

Time Range

Project planned for early 1990.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-25 17:31:18.059458; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Northern Exmouth Plateau and offshore Canning Basin, Northwest Shelf of Australia.