Recherche Archipelago Inner Shelf Carbonate Sediment Data from Southwestern Australia

Geoscience Australia Data provides a dataset on the formation and preservation of high-energy carbonate lithofacies in the cool-water Recherche Archipelago, southwestern Australia. The data includes surficial sediments, video, multibeam sonar, cores, and shallow seismics collected to understand Quaternary shelf evolution. The dataset was last updated on 2026-03-25.

Use Cases

• Modeling sediment accumulation patterns based on described Holocene deposits up to 7 m thick.
• Analyzing the influence of oceanography and wave abrasion on sediment production as mentioned in the description.
• Mapping seabed morphology and basement relationships using the described multibeam sonar and seismic data.
• Studying the composition of carbonate gravel lags dominated by bivalves, rhodoliths, and bryozoans.

Strengths

• Includes multiple data types: surficial sediments, video, multibeam sonar, cores, and shallow seismics.
• Focuses on a globally significant region described as the world's largest modern high-energy, cool-water carbonate realm.
• Documents specific sediment thicknesses, with Holocene deposits up to 7 m thick in the archipelago.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

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

Time Range

Quaternary, with focus on Holocene and Pleistocene deposits.

Freshness

Last updated 2026 03 25 16:42:21.559063; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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