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

Geoscience Australia Data provides a compilation of seafloor spreading magnetic data for the southern margin of Australia. The dataset documents the pattern of slow spreading from continental breakup at 96 Ma to A20 time at 44.5 Ma, including data from the 1986 R/V Rig Seismic cruise. It characterizes spreading ridge jumps between 131.25° E and Tasmania and variable spreading azimuths within segments.

Use Cases

• Modeling plate tectonic reconstructions based on documented spreading rates and azimuths.
• Analyzing the relationship between slow spreading rates and ridge geometry based on described ridge jumps.
• Comparing oblique spreading systems to modern analogues like the Gulf of Aden based on the described similarity.
• Calibrating magnetic anomaly interpretations for the southern Australian margin using the compiled data.

Strengths

• Includes critical data from a specific research cruise (R/V Rig Seismic, 1986).
• Documents precise spreading half-rates (e.g., <4.4 mm/year) and time boundaries (96 Ma, 44.5 Ma).
• Describes specific geographic features like ridge jumps between 131.25° E and Tasmania.

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 and temporal bias inherent to the specific marine surveys.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Compilation of seafloor spreading magnetic data, including from a 1986 research cruise.

Time Range

96 million years ago to 44.5 million years ago

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-14 04:42:53.164582; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Southern margin of Australia, specifically between 129° E and 131.75° E