Deep-Sea Geological Samples from 1979 RV Sonne Cruises off Western Australia

A 1979 six-week research cruise collected 120 successful sampling stations across the Exmouth and Wallaby Plateaus, with samples from depths of 100 to 5200 meters. The cruise, conducted under the Australian-German Science Agreement, yielded pre-Quaternary rocks, Quaternary cores, and manganese nodules. Preliminary analysis of the cores indicated the presence of methane and nickel-copper content in nodules.

Use Cases

• Study the composition and age of pre-Quaternary strata based on the described rock samples.
• Analyze Quaternary sediment sequences and gas content based on the collected cores.
• Assess the distribution and mineralogy of manganese nodules based on samples from plateau margins.
• Model subsurface volcanic structures based on seismic profiles and sampled volcanic sequences.

Strengths

• Data originates from a focused six-week research cruise with clearly stated geological aims.
• Sampling covered a wide depth range from 100 to 5200 meters across distinct geological features.
• The description provides specific counts, such as 31 seismic profiles run and 120 stations occupied.

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 temporal bias inherent to a single 1979 cruise.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Samples and seismic data collected during the RV Sonne geological cruise.

Time Range

1979

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-20 02:30:58.538967; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Exmouth Plateau, Wallaby Plateau, and Cuvier Abyssal Plain off Western Australia.