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

Geoscience Australia Data presents results from a geological reconnaissance of the northwest Australian continental shelf. The survey was conducted over two 3-month cruises in late 1967 and 1968, covering a 1200 km region from Barrow Island to beyond Scott Reef. It describes shelf and upper slope sediments, maps their distribution, and investigates the late Cainozoic geological history of the margin.

Use Cases

• Mapping sediment distribution based on sea-bed sediment notations from Admiralty charts
• Studying late Cainozoic geological history based on surface morphology and shallow structures
• Assessing phosphate deposit potential based on ocean water chemistry and circulation patterns mentioned in the description

Strengths

• Data integrates multiple sources including seismic profiles, echograms, hydrographic soundings, and petroleum exploration work
• Covers a 1200 km region of the continental shelf and upper slope
• Survey conducted over two dedicated 3-month cruises

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
• Structural framework and sedimentation description does not include results obtained after 1971

Provenance

Source

Bureau of Mineral Resources (BMR), Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

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

Time Range

1967-1968, with some compiled data from before 1971

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-14 04:09:07.451681; freshness should be verified

Geography

Northwest Australian continental shelf, from Barrow Island to beyond Scott Reef (1200 km)