Geomorphic Features of the Lord Howe Island and Balls Pyramid Shelves

Lord Howe Island and Balls Pyramid shelves are classified by geomorphic features and shelf region. The dataset provides information on the size, extent, and type of features, including submerged fossil reefs, ridges, sandy basins, and paleochannels. It was created by visually interpreting and digitizing broad seafloor features in ArcGIS, extending upon prior work by Linklater et al. (2015).

Use Cases

• Marine habitat mapping based on classified geomorphic features like submerged fossil reefs and patch reefs.
• Shelf region analysis for planning based on the inner, mid, and outer shelf classifications.
• Paleoenvironmental reconstruction based on identified paleochannels and fossil reef structures.
• Baseline data creation for conservation based on features like the modern fringing reef and shallow lagoon.

Strengths

• Classification is based on visual interpretation and digitization in ArcGIS v10.1.
• Methods are fully documented in an open-access publication with a provided DOI.
• Terminology is consistent with international nomenclature and national standards.
• Data extends upon a prior interpretation of the Balls Pyramid shelf.

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 data_gov_au.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Broad seafloor features were visually interpreted through digitisation in ArcGIS v10.1.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-18 20:05:29.624951; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Shelves surrounding Lord Howe Island and Balls Pyramid.