Mesozoic Rock Samples Dredged from the Northern Exmouth Plateau and Rowley Terrace

Forty-two major Mesozoic lithofacies types were recovered from a 1990 dredging program on the northern Exmouth Plateau and Rowley Terrace offshore northwest Australia. The Australian Ocean Data Network hosts this dataset, which provides geological control for seismic interpretations. The rocks document Late Triassic to Early Cretaceous depositional environments, including shelf carbonates, volcanics, and siliciclastics.

Use Cases

• Modeling Late Triassic reefal petroleum reservoir potential based on described carbonate facies.
• Reconstructing paleoenvironmental conditions during the breakup of Australia and Greater India based on volcanic and sedimentary sequences.
• Correlating depositional facies and microfaunas with other southern Tethyan margins like the Northern Calcareous Alps.
• Interpreting seismic data for the Rowley Sub-basin using the described lithofacies as geological control.

Strengths

• Describes 42 distinct Mesozoic lithofacies types recovered.
• Provides specific temporal context (Late Triassic to Early Cretaceous) for depositional events.
• Links rock types to regional tectonic events like the commencement of rifting.

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 the specific dredging locations.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Dredging program undertaken by AGSO in 1990.

Time Range

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

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-10 20:21:49.593086; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Northern Exmouth Plateau and Rowley Terrace, offshore northwest Australia.