The Northwest Australian continental shelf, spanning 1200 km from Barrow Island to Scott Reef, was surveyed during two 3-month cruises in 1967 and 1968. The Bulletin presents geological reconnaissance results from the Bureau of Mineral Resources, incorporating seismic profiles, echograms, and sediment notations from Admiralty Charts. The description of offshore structure and Phanerozoic sedimentation is based on petroleum exploration work up to 1971.
Use Cases
- Mapping sediment distribution across the continental shelf and upper slope based on the survey's primary objective.
- Analyzing late Cainozoic geological history of the continental margin based on surface morphology and shallow structures.
- Investigating potential for phosphate deposits based on ocean water chemistry and circulation patterns mentioned in the description.
- Studying the offshore structural framework based on subsidized petroleum exploration work referenced.
Strengths
- Survey covers a 1200 km region from Barrow Island to Scott Reef.
- Integrates data from multiple sources: BMR cruises, seismic profiles, echograms, Admiralty Charts, and petroleum exploration work.
- Focuses on describing sediments and mapping their distribution, a clear primary objective.
Limitations
- Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Data may reflect temporal bias inherent to data_gov_au, as results do not include findings after 1971.
Provenance
- Source
- Australian Ocean Data Network
- Collection Method
- Geological reconnaissance via ship cruises, supplemented by seismic profiles, echograms, hydrographic soundings, and petroleum exploration data.
- Time Range
- Survey cruises in late 1967 and late 1968; structural description based on work up to 1971.
- Geography
- Northwest Australian continental shelf (Rowley Shelf and southern Sahul Shelf), from Barrow Island to beyond Scott Reef.