Lord Howe Rise Geophysical Survey and Petroleum Prospect Analysis

Preliminary geophysical results from the R.V. Sonne cruise survey the Lord Howe Rise, a 2000 km long submarine plateau in the Tasman Sea. The Australian Ocean Data Network published this analysis of sediment basins, seismic profiles, and petroleum potential. The dataset includes interpretations of Late Cretaceous to Paleocene geological structures.

Use Cases

• Identify potential petroleum traps using interpreted boundary faults of grabens and internal basin structures.
• Model sediment thickness and basin geometry from seismic profiles indicating basins up to 4000 m deep.
• Assess petroleum source rock potential by correlating shallow marine silts and clays from DSDP Site 207 with paleogeographical reconstructions.
• Evaluate Late Cretaceous and Paleocene reef structures as hydrocarbon reservoirs from seismic data interpretations.
• Analyze heat flow data and sediment wedge thickness up to 2000 m to gauge hydrocarbon maturation prospects.

Strengths

• Covers a major 2000 km long by 300 km wide submarine geological feature.
• Identifies sediment-filled basins with specific dimensions of 20-40 km width and up to 4000 m sediment thickness.
• Integrates multiple data types including seismic profiles, drill site data (DSDP 207), and heat flow indications.

Limitations

• Data is preliminary and specific row/column counts and raw data accessibility are unknown.
• Petroleum prospect conclusions are described as conjectural and long-term, indicating interpretive uncertainty.
• Primary file formats are PDF and HTML, suggesting processed reports rather than raw, machine-ready data.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, likely originating from a research cruise (R.V. Sonne).

Collection Method

Marine geophysical survey data collection and subsequent geological interpretation.

Time Range

Geological focus on Late Cretaceous to Paleocene periods; survey date unknown.

Freshness

Metadata indicates a last updated date of 2026-04-04, but the underlying survey and publication date are not specified.

Geography

Lord Howe Rise in the Tasman Sea, 600-1200 km off Australia's east coast.