Mesozoic Outcrops on the Lower Continental Slope off Exmouth, Western Australia

Seismic reflection profiles over the southwestern margin of the Exmouth Plateau indicate rocks from the Permian to Early Tertiary likely form bedrock on the lower continental slope. The Australian Ocean Data Network hosts this dataset, which describes water depths from 1400 to 4000 meters and includes interpretations of rock types and faulting history. The record was last updated on 2026-06-27.

Use Cases

• Modeling petroleum potential based on described rock sequences and fault structures.
• Reconstructing geological evolution based on interpreted faulting events and stratigraphy.
• Planning offshore sampling campaigns based on identified outcrop locations on the lower slope.
• Correlating regional stratigraphy using the tentative ties to the Northwest Shelf sequence mentioned.

Strengths

• Water depth range is specified as 1400 to 4000 meters.
• Description provides a detailed interpreted geological sequence from Permian to Cainozoic.
• Faulting events are temporally constrained to Middle to Late Jurassic and Late Cretaceous.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to data_gov_au, focusing on a specific margin.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Seismic reflection profiling, with interpretations tied to the Northwest Shelf stratigraphic sequence.

Time Range

Rocks span from probable Permian to Early Tertiary age, with faulting events in Middle to Late Jurassic and Late Cretaceous.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-27 20:15:49.316537; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Lower continental slope off Exmouth, Western Australia, specifically the southwestern margin of the Exmouth Plateau.