Northwest Australian Continental Shelf Marine Geology Survey, 1967-1968

Two 3-month cruises in late 1967 and 1968 by the Bureau of Mineral Resources surveyed the northwest Australian continental shelf. The reconnaissance covered 1200 km from Barrow Island to beyond Scott Reef, aiming to describe shelf and upper slope sediments and map their distribution. Results incorporate seismic profiles, echograms, hydrographic soundings, and sea-bed sediment notations, with offshore structural descriptions based on petroleum exploration work up to 1971.

Use Cases

• Mapping sediment distribution patterns based on sea-bed sediment notations and survey data.
• Analyzing the late Cainozoic geological history of the continental margin based on surface morphology and shallow structures.
• Assessing phosphate deposit potential based on sediment chemistry and circulation pattern data mentioned in the description.

Strengths

• Covers a 1200 km survey region from Barrow Island to beyond Scott Reef.
• Integrates data from multiple sources including seismic profiles, echograms, hydrographic soundings, and petroleum exploration work.
• Based on two dedicated 3-month research cruises conducted in 1967 and 1968.

Limitations

• Offshore structural framework description is based on petroleum exploration work and does not include results obtained after 1971.
• Row count and column-level documentation are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data freshness should be verified; the underlying survey was conducted over 50 years ago.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Geological reconnaissance from research cruises, supplemented by seismic profiles, echograms, hydrographic soundings, and petroleum exploration data.

Time Range

Survey conducted in late 1967 and late 1968; structural framework data up to 1971.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-27 20:08:05.453156; freshness should be verified

Geography

Northwest Australian continental shelf, from Barrow Island to beyond Scott Reef (Rowley Shelf and southern Sahul Shelf).