The Exmouth and Wallaby Plateaus off northwest Australia are covered by this geological dataset. It presents detailed information from 41 sampling stations, including 29 on the Exmouth Plateau and 12 on the Wallaby Plateau and Cuvier Abyssal Plain. The data, likely compiled by the Australian Ocean Data Network, includes descriptions of rock types, seismic stratigraphy, and age determinations that revise understanding of the region's geological history.
Use Cases
- Analyze petroleum potential based on descriptions of coal-measure sequences and ferruginous sediments.
- Model geological history based on seismic stratigraphy and unconformity mapping.
- Study volcanic plateau formation based on descriptions of interbedded basalts and volcaniclastic deposits.
- Assess carbonate platform development based on descriptions of shallow-water carbonates.
- Correlate rock samples with seismic profiles based on the established seismic stratigraphy.
Strengths
- Data includes samples from 41 distinct stations across two major plateaus.
- Description provides specific lithological details for multiple facies associations (A, B, C, D, E).
- Includes age determinations, such as a K/Ar age of 89 m.y. for a basalt.
- Identifies major unconformities, like the Callovian breakup unconformity.
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
- Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
Provenance
- Source
- Australian Ocean Data Network
- Collection Method
- Sampling via dredging and analysis of single-channel seismic profiles.
- Time Range
- Rocks range from pre-Quaternary to Tertiary, with specific ages like Middle/Late Triassic, Early Jurassic, Aptian, Albian.
- Geography
- Exmouth Plateau, Wallaby Plateau, Cuvier Abyssal Plain off northwest Australia.