Palaeoshorelines on the Australian continental shelf are relict coastal structures formed during periods of lower sea level, primarily at 30–40 m and 70–90 m depths. The dataset, published in Continental Shelf Research in 2017, provides a geospatial framework for investigating marine biodiversity distributions and targeting archaeological sites. These features, mapped by the Australian Ocean Data Network, record oceanographic and geological regimes from the Late Quaternary period up to 128,000 years ago.
Use Cases
- Model past sea-level positions and coastal evolution based on the described modal depths of 30–40 m and 70–90 m.
- Map distinctive benthic habitats and predict marine biodiversity distributions across the shelf.
- Target submerged sand resources for coastal management based on relict coastal area morphology.
- Identify potential archaeological sites from periods of lower sea level, such as around 10–15 ka or 85 ka.
Strengths
- Analysis is grounded in the well-dated Late Quaternary sea-level record (0–128 ka).
- The morphology of features is described in relation to specific compositional (carbonate vs siliciclastic) and oceanographic settings.
- Provides a guide for the general depth zones (e.g., 30–40 m, 70–90 m) where similar features occur on other shelves globally.
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
- Freshness should be verified; the metadata lists a last updated date of 2026-06-17.
Provenance
- Source
- Australian Ocean Data Network
- Collection Method
- Likely contains geospatial mapping and analysis of bathymetric data.
- Time Range
- Covers the Late Quaternary period, up to 128,000 years ago.
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-06-17 00:16:17.000357
- Geography
- Australian continental shelf.