GA2476 Marine Survey: Geophysical and Geological Data from West Australian Margin

Geoscience Australia survey GA2476 acquired geological, geophysical, oceanographic, and biological data over poorly known areas of Australia's western continental margin between October 2008 and January 2009. The survey mapped 229,000 km² of seabed with multi-beam sonar and collected 25,000 line-km each of seismic, gravity, and magnetic data. This report provides an overview of survey activities, equipment, and preliminary results from the RV Sonne research vessel.

Use Cases

• Assess petroleum prospectivity based on geological and geophysical data from frontier sedimentary basins.
• Model seabed topography and geology using multi-beam sonar and shallow seismic reflection data.
• Analyze marine environmental baselines using biological samples and oceanographic data from 62 stations.
• Support marine spatial planning decisions with integrated data on the Cuvier margin and Perth Basin sub-basins.

Strengths

• Covers a large spatial area of 229,000 km² with multi-beam sonar mapping.
• Integrates multiple data types including geological, geophysical, oceanographic, and biological samples.
• Targets four specific frontier areas: Zeewyck and Houtman sub-basins, Cuvier margin, and Cuvier Plateau.
• Survey conducted over a defined period (25 Oct 2008 – 19 Jan 2009) using the RV Sonne research vessel.

Limitations

• Data is presented as a report (PDF/HTML); raw structured datasets are not described.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Freshness should be verified; data is from a 2008-2009 survey.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Marine reconnaissance survey using RV Sonne, deploying multi-beam sonar, seismic reflection profilers, gravity/magnetic sensors, and various sampling equipment.

Time Range

25 October 2008 to 19 January 2009

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-04 07:03:07.745564; freshness should be verified

Geography

West Australian continental margin, specifically the Zeewyck and Houtman sub-basins (Perth Basin), Cuvier margin (northwest of Southern Carnarvon Basin), and Cuvier Plateau (Wallaby Plateau).