Great Australian Bight Seabed Character And Geomorphology Map

Five distinct acoustic facies, representing seabed sediment types from undisturbed layers to disturbed deposits, were mapped across the Great Australian Bight margin and abyssal plain. The dataset captures geomorphological features including continental shelves, slopes, terraces, and canyons within a Geographical Information System. This regional seafloor mapping study was conducted by Geoscience Australia during 2000/2001 to support marine planning.

Use Cases

• Analyze the spatial distribution of acoustic facies, such as Facies I (undisturbed sediments) versus Facies II (disturbed sediments), to model sedimentary processes.
• Correlate geomorphological features like the Eyre Terrace or submarine canyons with specific echo facies types (e.g., Facies III for scarps and canyons) to understand geological inheritance.
• Use GIS polygon boundaries of the continental shelf, slope, and rise to define regions for habitat suitability modeling or environmental impact assessments.
• Investigate the relationship between mapped sedimentary basins and the confinement of Facies II to the Ceduna Terrace for resource exploration studies.

Strengths

• Defines five distinct acoustic facies based on interpretation of 3.5kHz echo-sounding records and seismic profiles.
• Includes GIS layers for four major geomorphological features and previously mapped plateaus, terraces, and canyons.

Limitations

• Data collection occurred during a single field season in 2000/2001, limiting temporal analysis of seabed changes.
• Seabed character mapping was performed only for the Great Australian Bight area, not the entire South and Southwest region study area.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, originating from Geoscience Australia's South and Southwest Regional Project.

Collection Method

Regional seafloor mapping study using interpretation of 3.5kHz echo-sounding records, high-resolution seismic profiles, and groundtruthing against seafloor samples, digitized into a GIS.

Time Range

2000-2001

Freshness

null

Geography

Great Australian Bight margin, continental shelf, slope, rise, and the South Australian abyssal plain.