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

Geoscience Australia Data presents a geological reconnaissance of the northwest Australian continental shelf based on 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. The compilation also incorporates shallow seismic profiles, echograms, hydrographic soundings, and sea-bed sediment notations from charts, with structural framework data based on petroleum exploration work up to 1971.

Use Cases

• Map sediment distribution patterns based on sea-bed sediment notations and survey samples.
• Study late Cainozoic geological history based on surface morphology and shallow structure analysis.
• Analyze the offshore structural framework based on subsidized petroleum exploration data.
• Assess potential for phosphate 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, and hydrographic charts.
• Based on dedicated 3-month survey cruises conducted in 1967 and 1968.

Limitations

• Data on structural framework and sedimentation 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

Geoscience Australia Data (formerly Bureau of Mineral Resources).

Collection Method

Marine geological reconnaissance via ship cruises, supplemented by contracted geophysical surveys, hydrographic soundings, and petroleum exploration data.

Time Range

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

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-20 02:11:31.533285; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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