A compilation of magnetic anomaly data confirms slow seafloor spreading rates of less than 4.4 mm/year between Australia and Antarctica from 96 to 44.5 million years ago. The dataset includes critical data collected during the 1986 R/V Rig Seismic cruise and re-interprets the oldest anomalies. It characterizes the spreading phase with ridge jumps and variable azimuths of spreading isochrons.
Use Cases
- Modeling plate tectonic separation rates based on magnetic anomaly data.
- Analyzing the response of slow spreading systems to oblique continental margins.
- Reconstructing paleogeography of the southern Australian margin.
- Comparing spreading patterns with modern analogs like the Gulf of Aden.
Strengths
- Includes critical magnetic data from the 1986 R/V Rig Seismic cruise.
- Provides specific half-rates (e.g., <4.4 mm/year) and time boundaries (96 Ma, 44.5 Ma).
- Describes detailed spreading characteristics like ridge jumps and variable azimuths.
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 data_gov_au.
Provenance
- Source
- Australian Ocean Data Network
- Collection Method
- Compilation of seafloor spreading magnetic data, including ship-collected data.
- Time Range
- 96 to 44.5 million years ago (Mid-Cretaceous to A20 time).
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-04-16 14:10:57.618248; freshness should be verified.
- Geography
- Southern margin of Australia, between 129°E and 131.75°E, extending towards Tasmania.