Philippines Marine Seismic Survey 1992: Seismic, Sniffer, Gravity, and Magnetic Data

The Australian Bureau of Mineral Resources and Philippine Office of Energy Affairs conducted a joint marine seismic and geochemical survey from March to May 1992. The project collected 2,750 km of 192-channel seismic data, plus sniffer, gravity, magnetic, and bathymetric data across four Philippine offshore basins. Data processing and integration with existing industry data was planned to assess petroleum potential.

Use Cases

• Mapping subsurface geological structures based on 2,750 km of seismic reflection data.
• Identifying hydrocarbon seepage anomalies based on geochemical sniffer data classifying thermogenic gas types.
• Analyzing basin geometry and sediment thickness based on seismic monitors showing deep depocentres with stratified sections.
• Correlating geochemical anomalies with known prospects and fault structures mentioned in the description.

Strengths

• Data collection covered 2,750 km across four distinct offshore basins with detailed breakdowns per area.
• Multiple complementary data types were acquired: seismic, sniffer, gravity, magnetic, and bathymetric.
• Survey conditions were described as very calm, which is conducive to collecting low-noise seismic data.

Limitations

• Seismic data acquisition was abandoned at night in some areas due to fishing activities, potentially creating gaps.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Australian Bureau of Mineral Resources (BMR) and Philippine Office of Energy Affairs (OEA)

Collection Method

Marine survey conducted using the research vessel Rig Seismic, funded by the Australian International Development Assistance Bureau (AIDAB).

Time Range

March to May 1992

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-27 20:24:20.276666; freshness should be verified

Geography

Four Philippine offshore sedimentary basins: NE Palawan Shelf, Cuyo Platform, Tayabas Bay, and Ragay Gulf.