Exmouth Gulf Marine Seismic Survey: Structural Maps and Interpretations

A 1961 reconnaissance marine reflection seismic survey was conducted in Exmouth Gulf and along the west coast of Western Australia from Frazer Island to Bernier Island. The dataset contains interpreted maps of geological horizons, pre-Cretaceous structure, water depth, and time intervals, revealing synclinal character and fault trends. It was a two-boat operation using Lorac radio navigation and sextant positioning, with data recorded on magnetic tapes and processed into variable area record sections.

Use Cases

• Mapping subsurface geological structure based on interpreted horizons 'A' and 'B'.
• Identifying pre-Cretaceous fault trends and anticlinal axes for petroleum exploration.
• Analyzing the synclinal character of Cretaceous and Tertiary sediments in Exmouth Gulf.
• Correlating offshore seismic data with onshore geological maps from the Rough Range-Cape Range area.
• Studying the time interval between seismic horizons to infer sediment thickness and depositional history.

Strengths

• Provides a critical tie between onshore and offshore structural geology in a key petroleum region.
• Contains multiple interpreted map products (five listed types) from a dedicated marine survey.
• Describes specific navigation and recording methods (Lorac system, sextants, magnetic tapes).

Limitations

• Core data files (e.g., seismic traces, coordinates) and column definitions are not described.
• Metadata for size, row count, license, and author is consistently listed as 'None' or 'unknown'.
• The dataset appears to be a publication or report (PDF/HTML) rather than raw, machine-readable data.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data; survey conducted by West Australian Petroleum Pty Limited.

Collection Method

Two-boat marine seismic reflection survey using magnetic tape recording.

Time Range

1961

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-30, but describes a survey from 1961.

Geography

Exmouth Gulf and west coast of Western Australia, from Frazer Island to Bernier Island.