Holocene Reef Growth Fabrics and Rates in the Great Barrier Reef

Scientists from the Bureau of Mineral Resources and James Cook University drilled 61 holes into 24 reefs across the Great Barrier Reef Province over five years. The dataset includes nearly 250 radiocarbon dates and analyzes five major biosedimentologic facies, providing growth rates for different reef structures and environments. It was published by the Australian Ocean Data Network and last updated in June 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling reef accretion rates based on reported growth rates of 1-16 m/1000yr for different facies.
• Analyzing regional sedimentological variations based on the described latitudinal uniformity in framework facies versus detrital facies.
• Studying the lag between sea-level rise and reef initiation using data on water depths and colonization timing.
• Comparing depositional environments using rates for sand flat progradation, storm sedimentation, and high-energy events.

Strengths

• Based on a substantial field campaign of 61 drill holes into 24 reefs.
• Includes a significant temporal dataset of nearly 250 radiocarbon dates.
• Provides quantified growth rates for multiple reef facies and depositional environments.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data files are in PDF and HTML formats, which may require extraction for analysis.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, based on work by the Bureau of Mineral Resources and James Cook University.

Collection Method

Scientific drilling and core analysis, with radiocarbon dating.

Time Range

Holocene, with reef initiation around 8-9000 years B.P.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-05 06:12:12.819258; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Great Barrier Reef Province, Australia, between 15°30'S and 25°50'S.