Palaeoshorelines on the Australian continental shelf: morphology, sea-level relationship a

Palaeoshorelines on the stable Australian continental shelf are relict coastal structures formed during periods of lower sea level. The analysis indicates persistent modal sea levels at 30–40 m and 70–90 m depths during the Late Quaternary (0–128 ka). These features, published in Continental Shelf Research, provide a geospatial framework for biodiversity studies and targeting relict coastal areas.

Use Cases

• Modeling past sea-level positions and coastal response based on described modal depths of 30–40 m and 70–90 m.
• Mapping distinctive benthic habitats and biodiversity distributions using the palaeoshoreline morphology.
• Targeting potential sand resources and submerged archaeological sites from relict coastal areas.
• Comparing shelf morphology and preservation states across different geological compositions and oceanographic settings.

Strengths

• Analysis is grounded in the well-dated Late Quaternary sea-level record (0–128 ka).
• Identifies specific, persistent modal sea-level depths (30–40 m and 70–90 m) with associated time ranges.
• Links morphology and preservation to concrete factors: composition (carbonate vs siliciclastic) and oceanographic setting.
• Provides a guide for similar feature depth zones on other continental shelves globally.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale analysis.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, associated with a peer-reviewed publication in Continental Shelf Research.

Collection Method

Likely derived from bathymetric and geophysical survey analysis.

Time Range

Late Quaternary, covering 0 to 128 thousand years ago.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-27 17:12:30.650910; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Australian continental shelf.