Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 search data reveal geomorphology and seafloor processes in

Geoscience Australia Data provides a high-resolution multibeam echosounder dataset covering over 279,000 km² in the southeastern Indian Ocean, acquired to assist the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370. The data, collected after the aircraft's disappearance on 8 March 2014, offers the first large-scale coverage of this remote deep-sea area. It reveals detailed seafloor features and provides a framework for comparing satellite-derived bathymetric models.

Use Cases

• Compare satellite-derived bathymetry models against high-resolution sonar data based on the analysis of SRTM15_plus discrepancies.
• Map and analyze seafloor geomorphic features such as seamounts, ridges, and canyons based on the detailed feature identification described.
• Study modern sedimentary processes like sediment mass transport and gas discharge based on the documented pockmarks and other features.
• Investigate seafloor spreading and volcanic processes based on the analysis of preserved spreading fabric and ridges.

Strengths

• Covers a large area of over 279,000 square kilometers.
• Reveals a 20% increase in the mapped extent of hills and mountains and four times more seamounts than previous global maps.
• Enables identification of discrete seafloor features, doubling the number previously mapped.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Freshness should be verified; last updated metadata indicates a future date (2026-05-14).

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Acquired via high-resolution multibeam echosounder (MBES) survey.

Time Range

Data acquisition occurred after 8 March 2014.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-14 04:31:26.520619

Geography

Southeastern Indian Ocean, specifically the MH370 search area.