Mesozoic Rock Samples from the Exmouth Plateau with Petrography Analysis

Late Triassic to Cainozoic geological samples dredged from the northern Exmouth Plateau in water depths of 2000-5600 meters by research vessels R. V. Sonne and R. V. Rig Seismic. The dataset, from Geoscience Australia, includes detailed petrography and microfacies analysis defining seven major lithofacies associations. It covers the geological history from the southeastern margin of the Tethys ocean to the formation of the Argo Abyssal Plain.

Use Cases

• Correlating shallow water carbonate microfacies with coeval platforms in the Alps and Mediterranean based on the 14 defined microfacies types.
• Modeling the subsidence and depositional history of a passive margin based on the described lithofacies associations from rift volcanics to pelagic chalks.
• Analyzing diagenetic processes involving silica, silicates, carbonates, and phosphates mentioned in the petrography.
• Reconstructing paleoenvironments from intertidal to deep subtidal settings based on the described carbonate deposition in the Swan Canyon and Wombat Plateau areas.

Strengths

• Samples collected from a significant depth range of 2000 to 5600 meters.
• Analysis defines seven major lithofacies associations and 14 specific microfacies types.
• Covers a long temporal range from the Late Triassic to the Cainozoic (Recent).

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data may reflect geographic/temporal bias inherent to the specific dredge locations and seismic profiles.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Dredging along seismic reflection profiles by research vessels R. V. Sonne (Cruise SO-8) and R. V. Rig Seismic (BMR Cruise 56).

Time Range

Late Triassic to Cainozoic (Recent)

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03 25 19:01:53.863236; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Northern margin of the Exmouth Plateau, southeastern margin of the Tethys ocean, Swan Canyon, Wombat Plateau, Argo Abyssal Plain