BMR Cruise 106: Seabed Morphology and Mineral Resources Around Christmas Island

Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean, is the focus of a 1992 geoscience cruise. The project aimed to assess seabed morphology, sediment thickness, and offshore mineral resources like manganese nodules and crusts. Data was collected over 28 days using high-resolution reflection seismic and bathymetric surveys.

Use Cases

• Mapping seabed morphology and sediment thickness based on seismic and bathymetric data.
• Assessing manganese nodule abundance and metal grades (Cu, Ni, Co) on the deep-sea floor.
• Evaluating manganese crust thickness and composition on volcanic ridges.
• Supporting seabed boundary negotiations with Indonesia based on geological resource mapping.

Strengths

• Project involved a 28-day dedicated research cruise with planned acquisition of about 2500 km of seismic and bathymetric data.
• Description provides specific geological context, including sediment thickness (100-300m) and nodule metal grade comparisons (about 2.55% Cu+Ni+Co).
• Clear stated aim to produce a comprehensive review of geology and mineral resources for the offshore zone.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last updated 2026-04-20 02:05:59.694271; freshness should be verified as the underlying data is from 1992.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Data collected during the BMR Cruise 106 of R.V. 'Rig Seismic' using high-resolution reflection seismic, bathymetry, and sampling campaigns.

Time Range

Primary data collection: 7 January to 4 February, 1992.

Freshness

Underlying data collection occurred from 7 January to 4 February, 1992; metadata was last updated 2026-04-20.

Geography

Offshore zone around Christmas Island, Indian Ocean, approximately 10°30'S and 105°40'E.