A 1979 six-week geological cruise by the RV Sonne collected data from the Exmouth Plateau, Wallaby Plateau, and Cuvier Abyssal Plain off Western Australia. The cruise successfully sampled pre-Quaternary strata, Quaternary cores, and manganese nodules from 102 stations on the Exmouth Plateau and 18 stations on the Wallaby Plateau. The Australian Ocean Data Network hosts the results, which include seismic profiles and samples from depths between 100 and 5200 meters.
Use Cases
- Analyze the distribution of Early Jurassic shelf carbonates and Middle Jurassic coal measures based on pre-Quaternary rock samples.
- Study the composition and economic potential of manganese nodules based on nickel and copper content determinations.
- Model volcanic structures on the Wallaby Plateau based on descriptions of interbedded basalts, tuffs, and breccias.
- Assess methane concentrations in Quaternary sediment cores for gas analysis.
- Map geological unconformities and stratigraphic sequences using seismic profile data.
Strengths
- Data covers 102 sampling stations on the Exmouth Plateau and 18 stations on the Wallaby Plateau.
- Samples were obtained from a wide depth range of 100 to 5200 meters.
- The cruise successfully accomplished its four main aims, including sampling pre-Quaternary strata and obtaining Quaternary cores.
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 the specific 1979 cruise.
Provenance
- Source
- Australian Ocean Data Network
- Collection Method
- Sampling and seismic profiling during a research vessel cruise.
- Time Range
- 1979
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-04-16 14:27:43.482333; freshness should be verified.
- Geography
- Exmouth Plateau, Wallaby Plateau, Cuvier Abyssal Plain off Western Australia.