Philippines Marine Seismic Survey: 2750 km of Geophysical Data from 1992

Philippine offshore sedimentary basins were surveyed from March to May 1992 by the Australian Bureau of Mineral Resources and Philippine Office of Energy Affairs. The project collected 2750 km of 192-channel seismic data, plus geochemical sniffer, gravity, magnetic, and bathymetric data across four regions. The data were intended for processing and integration with existing industry data to assess petroleum potential.

Use Cases

• Mapping subsurface geological structures based on 2750 km of seismic reflection data.
• Identifying hydrocarbon seepage potential based on geochemical sniffer anomalies and gas composition types.
• Analyzing basin geometry and depocentres based on ship-board seismic monitor observations.
• Correlating geochemical anomalies with known prospects and faults mentioned in the report.
• Studying the flux rate of hydrocarbon release based on vertical profiles and gas samples collected in Ragay Gulf.

Strengths

• Data collection covers 2750 km across four distinct Philippine basins: NE Palawan Shelf (580 km), Cuyo Platform (730 km), Tayabas Bay (490 km), and Ragay Gulf (950 km).
• Multiple geophysical data types were acquired jointly: seismic, sniffer, gravity, magnetic, and bathymetry.
• Survey conditions were described as very calm, which is conducive to collecting low-noise data.
• Geochemical analysis identified two distinct anomaly types with specific hydrocarbon compositions.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data acquisition was affected by fishing activities, leading to abandoned seismic data collection at night in Ragay Gulf.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Joint marine survey conducted using the Australian government's geoscience research vessel Rig Seismic.

Time Range

March to May 1992

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-16 15:24:08.913673; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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