Slow Seafloor Spreading Patterns Off Southern Australia, 96-44.5 Ma

The southern margin of Australia documents seafloor spreading from continental breakup at 96 million years ago (Ma) to A20 time at 44.5 Ma. This compilation includes magnetic data confirming a phase of slow spreading with half-rates under 4.4 mm/year and ridge jumps between 131.25° E and Tasmania. The data was published by Geoscience Australia and includes critical measurements from the 1986 R/V Rig Seismic cruise.

Use Cases

• Modeling plate tectonic reconstructions based on described spreading rates and azimuths.
• Analyzing the response of slow spreading systems to oblique continental margins based on the described isochron patterns.
• Comparing ancient slow-spreading systems to modern analogs like the Gulf of Aden, as referenced in the description.
• Calibrating geophysical models with the compiled magnetic anomaly data from the southern Australian margin.

Strengths

• Includes critical data from a specific 1986 research cruise (R/V Rig Seismic).
• Describes specific temporal phases with defined half-rates (e.g., <4.4 mm/year, 10 mm/year).
• Provides geographic bounds for spreading segments (e.g., between 129° and 131.75°E).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data files are in PDF and HTML formats, which may require extraction for computational analysis.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Compilation of seafloor spreading magnetic data, including shipborne measurements.

Time Range

96 to 44.5 million years ago (Mid-Cretaceous to Eocene)

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-30 15:09:17.395229; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Southern margin of Australia, specifically between 129°E and Tasmania, and the adjacent Southern Ocean.