Mesozoic sedimentary and volcaniclastic rocks dredged from the northern Exmouth Plateau an

Forty-two major Mesozoic lithofacies types were recovered from an extensive dredging program undertaken by AGSO in 1990 on the northern Exmouth Plateau and Rowley Terrace margin. The data provides geological control for seismic interpretations and indicates Late Triassic to Early Cretaceous depositional environments, including shelf carbonates, volcanics, and fluvial-paralic siliciclastics. The dataset is hosted by the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Use Cases

• Modeling Late Triassic reefal petroleum reservoir potential based on described carbonate facies.
• Analyzing the timing and impact of rifting between Australia and Greater India based on volcaniclastic rock descriptions.
• Correlating depositional facies and microfaunas with other southern Tethyan margins mentioned in the description.
• Interpreting seismic data for the Rowley Terrace and Exmouth Plateau using the geological control provided by the dredge samples.

Strengths

• Contains 42 distinct Mesozoic lithofacies types, providing a detailed geological inventory.
• Data collection was part of a targeted program in 1990 to provide control for seismic interpretation.
• Description provides a detailed geological narrative spanning from the Late Triassic to the Early Cretaceous.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is from a single campaign in 1990; more recent geological activity is not captured.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Dredging program undertaken by AGSO (Australian Geological Survey Organisation).

Time Range

Mesozoic era, with specific focus on Late Triassic to Early Cretaceous periods.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-27 17:01:28.207523; freshness should be verified

Geography

Northern Exmouth Plateau and Rowley Terrace, offshore northwest Australia.