Marine Geophysical Survey of the Northwest Continental Shelf, 1968

The Bureau of Mineral Resources conducted a marine geophysical reconnaissance survey over the northwest continental shelf from Ashmore Reef to Barrow Island in 1968. The survey, contracted to Ray Geophysics (Australia) Pty Ltd, aimed to cover 16,000 line miles over three months on east-west lines spaced 9 nautical miles apart. This dataset is hosted by the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Use Cases

• Mapping subsurface geological structures based on the geophysical survey lines.
• Analyzing bathymetry and seafloor composition from the reconnaissance data.
• Studying historical resource exploration patterns in the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf and Timor Sea areas.
• Establishing baseline data for environmental or geological change detection over time.

Strengths

• Survey plan specifies a concrete scope of 16,000 line miles to be covered.
• Operational details are provided, including a 3-month duration, 10-knot boat speed, and 9-nautical-mile line spacing.
• Clear institutional provenance from the Bureau of Mineral Resources and the Australian Ocean Data Network.

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 temporal and geographic bias inherent to a single 1968 survey campaign.

Provenance

Source

Bureau of Mineral Resources (historical), Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Contract survey conducted by Ray Geophysics (Australia) Pty Ltd using marine geophysical equipment.

Time Range

1968

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-04 06:32:16.030045; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Northwest continental shelf of Australia, from Ashmore Reef to Barrow Island.