Holocene Reef Growth Fabrics and Rates in the Great Barrier Reef

Geoscience Australia Data provides a dataset on Holocene reef growth in the Great Barrier Reef. It is based on analysis of 61 drill holes into 24 reefs, yielding nearly 250 radiocarbon dates. The data delineates five major biosedimentologic facies and quantifies their depositional and framework growth rates.

Use Cases

• Modeling reef accretion rates based on quantified growth rates for different facies.
• Analyzing latitudinal variations in reef framework and detrital facies across the Great Barrier Reef.
• Studying the relationship between sea-level rise and initial reef colonization lag times.
• Comparing depositional rates for different sedimentary events like storm sedimentation and sand flat progradation.

Strengths

• Based on a substantial field campaign of 61 drill holes across 24 reefs.
• Includes nearly 250 radiocarbon dates providing a chronological framework.
• Quantifies specific growth rates for five distinct biosedimentologic facies.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Bureau of Mineral Resources and James Cook University of North Queensland, via Geoscience Australia Data.

Collection Method

Scientific drilling and core analysis of Holocene reefs.

Time Range

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

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-14 09:02:36.756386; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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