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

Geoscience Australia Data presents a geological reconnaissance of the northwest Australian continental shelf conducted during two 3-month cruises in late 1967 and 1968. The survey covers a 1200 km region from Barrow Island to beyond Scott Reef, aiming to describe shelf and upper slope sediments and map their distribution. The compilation incorporates shallow seismic profiles, echograms, hydrographic soundings, and sea-bed sediment notations from charts, with structural descriptions based on petroleum exploration work up to 1971.

Use Cases

• Map sea-bed sediment distribution based on notations from Admiralty Charts and survey data.
• Study the late Cainozoic geological history of the continental margin based on surface morphology and shallow structures.
• Analyze the offshore structural framework and Phanerozoic sedimentation based on subsidized petroleum exploration work.
• Investigate potential for phosphate deposits based on ocean water chemistry and circulation patterns mentioned in the survey objectives.

Strengths

• Covers a 1200 km region of the continental shelf and upper slope.
• Integrates data from multiple sources including seismic profiles, echograms, and hydrographic soundings.
• Based on field surveys conducted over two dedicated 3-month cruises.

Limitations

• Data content is described in PDF/HTML reports; column-level documentation is absent.
• Structural and sedimentation descriptions do not include results obtained after 1971.
• Row count and specific data formats for analysis are unknown.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data, Bureau of Mineral Resources (BMR)

Collection Method

Marine geological reconnaissance cruises, supplemented by contracted geophysical surveys and compiled hydrographic data.

Time Range

Survey cruises in late 1967 and 1968; compiled data includes sources up to 1971.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-30 14:07:14.924216; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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