Geoscience Australia Survey 267: Hydrocarbon Seepage Detection on the Yampi Shelf, 2004

Geoscience Australia Marine Survey 267 was conducted from March 3 to March 18, 2004 aboard the vessel Parmelia K. The survey tested techniques for detecting natural hydrocarbon seepage on the Yampi Shelf in northwestern Australia, directly observing seepage plumes and collecting multi-beam bathymetry and sediment samples. The report details findings on seepage activity, equipment challenges, and recommendations for future surveys.

Use Cases

• Validate hydrocarbon seepage detection models based on direct observations of plumes and bubbles mentioned in the report.
• Analyze the relationship between seepage sites and tidal cycles based on the reported correlation with low-tide activity.
• Study seafloor morphology and hydrocarbon-related diagenetic zones (HRDZs) using the collected multi-beam swath bathymetry data.
• Correlate acoustic and fluorometer sensor data with seismic interpretations for seep location mapping as discussed in the findings.

Strengths

• Report includes direct observational evidence of hydrocarbon seepage, a significant finding for the region.
• Survey employed multiple techniques including echosounder, side-scan sonar, fluorometer, ADCP, and sediment sampling.
• Findings link active seepage to specific geological features (HRDZs) and tidal conditions.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The survey length was curtailed by unfavorable weather, and coring was largely unsuccessful due to hard-grounds.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Marine survey aboard the Parmelia K, utilizing echosounders, sonar, fluorometers, ADCP, and sediment grabs.

Time Range

March 3, 2004 to March 18, -2004

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-14 09:24:45.523389; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Yampi Shelf, Timor Sea, North West Shelf, northwestern Australia