GA Marine Survey SS06/2006: Hydrocarbon Seepage Data from the North West Shelf

Geoscience Australia's RV Southern Surveyor Survey SS06/2006 acquired data to assess petroleum potential on the central North West Shelf from 29 May to 22 June 2006. The survey collected more than 70 Gb of geophysical and oceanographic data and 140 sediment, water, and video samples. Its primary aim was to identify natural hydrocarbon seepage as evidence for an active petroleum system.

Use Cases

• Identify potential hydrocarbon source rocks based on evidence of natural seepage mentioned in the description.
• Model sedimentary and oceanographic processes on the shelf using the acquired geophysical and oceanographic data.
• Characterize benthic habitats using the collected video and sediment samples.
• Re-evaluate the petroleum prospectivity of the Offshore Canning and Roebuck basins based on direct survey evidence.

Strengths

• Survey acquired more than 70 Gb of geophysical and oceanographic data.
• Includes 140 physical samples of sediment, water, and video.
• Data collection was focused on a specific geographic area and time period (29 May to 22 June 2006).

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/temporal bias inherent to the single survey.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia, via the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Collection Method

Marine survey conducted aboard the RV Southern Surveyor, acquiring geophysical, oceanographic, and sample data.

Time Range

29 May 2006 to 22 June 2006

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-05 06:30:50.126113; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Central North West Shelf, encompassing the Offshore Canning and Roebuck basins.