Marine Geology of the Northwest Australian Continental Shelf, 1967-1968 Surveys

A geological reconnaissance of the northwest Australian continental shelf conducted by the Bureau of Mineral Resources during two 3-month cruises in late 1967 and 1968. The survey covers a 1200 km region from Barrow Island to beyond Scott Reef, describing shelf and upper slope sediments and mapping their distribution. It incorporates data from seismic profiles, echograms, hydrographic soundings, and sea-bed sediment charts, with structural framework information based on petroleum exploration work up to 1971.

Use Cases

• Map sediment distribution patterns based on sea-bed sediment notations and survey samples.
• Study the late Cainozoic geological history of the continental margin based on surface morphology and shallow structures.
• Analyze the offshore structural framework based on subsidized petroleum exploration data.
• Investigate potential for marine mineral deposits based on ocean water chemistry and sediment phosphorus content mentioned in the description.

Strengths

• Covers a 1200 km region of the continental shelf and upper slope.
• Integrates data from multiple sources including seismic profiles, echograms, hydrographic soundings, and petroleum exploration work.
• Based on two dedicated 3-month marine survey cruises.

Limitations

• Structural framework and Phanerozoic sedimentation description does not include results obtained after 1971.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Bureau of Mineral Resources, Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Marine geological reconnaissance cruises supplemented by seismic profiles, echograms, hydrographic soundings, and petroleum exploration data.

Time Range

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

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-04 05:51:47.074546; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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