Over the past five years, scientists drilled 61 holes into 24 reefs across the Great Barrier Reef Province. The dataset includes nearly 250 radiocarbon dates and delineates five major biosedimentologic facies. It was aggregated by the Australian Ocean Data Network.
Use Cases
- Model reef growth rates based on the reported 1-16 m/1000yr framework rates.
- Analyze regional sediment composition based on the described coralline algal, coral-head, branching-coral, detrital carbonate, and detrital siliciclastic facies.
- Study latitudinal patterns in reef structure based on the described uniformity in framework facies versus variation in detrital facies.
- Correlate reef initiation timing with sea-level rise based on the reported 8-9000 yr B.P. start date.
- Compare depositional rates for different sedimentary events based on the reported 1-18 m/1000yr rates for sand flat progradation, storm sedimentation, and high-energy events.
Strengths
- Data is based on 61 drill holes across 24 reefs.
- Analysis includes nearly 250 radiocarbon dates.
- Delineates five major biosedimentologic facies.
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 the Great Barrier Reef study area.
Provenance
- Source
- Bureau of Mineral Resources and James Cook University of North Queensland.
- Collection Method
- Analysis of drill-hole core samples.
- Time Range
- Holocene period, with reef initiation around 8-9000 years B.P.
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-04-16 15:56:07.517618; freshness should be verified.
- Geography
- Great Barrier Reef Province between 15°30S and 25°50S.