Mesozoic Outcrops And Faults On The Exmouth Plateau Continental Slope

Seismic reflection profiles from the southwestern margin of Australia's Exmouth Plateau indicate bedrock and outcrops of Permian to Early Tertiary age rocks on the lower continental slope. The data describes rock types, fault structures, and water depths from 1400 to 4000 meters, compiled by the Australian Ocean Data Network. The dataset was last updated in April 2026.

Use Cases

• Map the distribution of pre-Late Jurassic fluvial sandstone and shale outcrops using seismic profile data to assess reservoir rock presence.
• Analyze north-northeasterly trending normal faults and their Middle to Late Jurassic timing to model the structural evolution of the Exmouth Plateau.
• Correlate Late Cretaceous shelf limestone units from seismic profiles with Deep Sea Drilling Project results to test theories of margin formation.
• Identify areas where a major anticline is truncated by the lower continental slope to locate potential outcrops of older rocks for sampling.

Strengths

• Data covers a significant water depth range from 1400 to 4000 meters.
• Provides interpreted geological sequence from Permian to Early Tertiary age.
• Includes analysis of fault trends (north-northeasterly and northwesterly) and timing.

Limitations

• Specific row count, column details, and sample data are unavailable.
• Rock type and age assignments are described as 'probable' or 'surmised', indicating interpretive uncertainty.
• Primary data formats are PDF and HTML reports, not structured, machine-readable data files.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network.

Collection Method

Interpretation of seismic reflection profiles tied to Northwest Shelf stratigraphy.

Time Range

Geological ages from Permian to Early Tertiary.

Freshness

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Geography

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