Geoscientific Survey Data from Scott Plateau to Java Trench

The R.V. Valdivia survey in 1977 collected 1700 km of 24-channel seismic data and 2550 km of bathymetric, gravity, and magnetic data, along with 31 bottom samples. The Australian Ocean Data Network hosts this dataset, which was last updated in April 2026. It provides information on the geological structure and sediment history of the region between northwest Australia and the Java Trench.

Use Cases

• Analyze bathymetric and gravity data to model the structure of the Scott Plateau and its bounding faults.
• Use seismic profile data to interpret thrust-faulted continental crust versus oceanic crust near the Java Trench.
• Study bottom sample core data, including nannofossils and marls, to reconstruct Pleistocene-Holocene sedimentation rates.
• Correlate magnetic data with seismic sequences to understand Late Jurassic rifting and transform fault history.
• Map calcite compensation depth variations using core sample data from the Java Trench and Scott Plateau.

Strengths

• 1700 km of 24-channel seismic reflection data provides subsurface structural detail.
• 2550 km of concurrent bathymetric, gravity, and magnetic measurements offer multi-parameter coverage.
• 31 physical bottom samples from 2000 m to 5800 m water depth enable ground-truthing.

Limitations

• Data collection is from a single 1977 survey, limiting temporal analysis.
• Sample size is small with only 31 cores, restricting statistical robustness for regional generalizations.
• Primary data formats are PDF and HTML, which may require extraction for computational analysis.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, from the R.V. Valdivia survey.

Collection Method

Marine survey recording seismic, bathymetric, gravity, magnetic data and collecting bottom samples.

Time Range

Survey conducted in 1977; samples contain material from Late Jurassic to Holocene periods.

Freshness

Metadata was updated in April 2026, but the underlying survey data is from 1977.

Geography

Scott Plateau off northwest Australia to the Java Trench.