Rig Seismic Geophysical and Geological Research Cruise off Tasmania, 1988

March to April 1988 research cruise by the R/V Rig Seismic for the Bureau of Mineral Resources (BMR). The dataset includes 1750 km of multichannel seismic survey on the west Tasmanian margin and 265 km off southeast Tasmania, plus geological sampling at 49 stations. The work was conducted to define basin geology, rifting history, stratigraphy, and petroleum potential.

Use Cases

• Model sedimentary basin structure based on multichannel seismic survey data.
• Analyze rifting history and stratigraphy based on geological sampling of basement and older sequences.
• Assess petroleum potential based on analysis of surface sediments for thermogenic gas anomalies.
• Establish models for Cainozoic sedimentation based on core samples from 37 stations.
• Calculate thermal flux based on near-surface thermal gradient and conductivity measurements from 10 stations.

Strengths

• Multichannel seismic surveying covering 1750 km on the west Tasmanian margin and 265 km off southeast Tasmania.
• Geological sampling conducted at 49 stations, including 12 for basement control and 37 for sediment coring.
• Thermal gradient and conductivity measurements taken at 10 stations.

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 and temporal bias inherent to the 1988 research cruise.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Marine research cruise (R/V Rig Seismic, BMR research cruise 78) involving seismic surveying and geological sampling.

Time Range

24 March to 18 April, 1988

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-25 16:58:02.916820; freshness should be verified.

Geography

West Tasmanian margin (King Island and Strahan Sub-basins, Sorell Basin) and southeast Tasmania (near Bruny Island)