Formation, Morphology and Preservation of High-energy Carbonate Lithofacies: Evolution of

A 2026 dataset from Geoscience Australia examines the evolution of the Recherche Archipelago inner shelf, a high-energy cool-water carbonate environment. The data includes surficial sediments, video, multibeam sonar, cores, and shallow seismics, revealing Holocene deposits up to 7 meters thick. This research investigates sediment production and accumulation patterns influenced by oceanography and wave abrasion.

Use Cases

• Modeling sediment accumulation patterns based on seismic profiles and core data.
• Analyzing the composition of carbonate sediments based on described fragments of calcareous algae, molluscs, and bryozoans.
• Mapping seabed morphology and basement structure based on multibeam sonar and video data.
• Studying the influence of granite island sheltering on sediment preservation based on described depositional patterns.

Strengths

• Includes multiple data types: surficial sediments, video, multibeam sonar, cores, and shallow seismics.
• Identifies specific sediment thicknesses, such as Holocene deposits up to 7 meters thick.
• Focuses on a recognized modern analogue for geologically ancient cool-water carbonate deposits.

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 bias inherent to the single study area in south-western Australia.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Field collection of surficial sediments, video, multibeam sonar data, cores, and shallow seismics.

Time Range

Quaternary period, with focus on Holocene deposits.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-30 15:14:36.424611; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Recherche Archipelago, western margin of the Great Australian Bight, South-western Australia.