Seabed Character and Geomorphology Mapping for the Great Australian Bight

Five distinct acoustic seabed facies were defined for the Great Australian Bight based on 3.5kHz echo-sounding and seismic profiles from a 2000/2001 study. This geospatial dataset, produced by Geoscience Australia, delineates four major geomorphological features—continental shelf, terraces, slope, and rise—to support regional marine planning. The data captures the distribution of layered, disturbed, and topographically varied sediments across the shelf, slope, and abyssal plain.

Use Cases

• Modeling sedimentary processes and geological inheritance based on the distribution of five defined acoustic facies.
• Delineating marine habitats and ecosystems based on mapped geomorphological features like terraces, canyons, and the continental slope.
• Informing regional marine planning and policy by underpinning assessments with foundational seabed character and geomorphology data.
• Analyzing the influence of bottom currents and gravity flows on sediment reworking, particularly within submarine canyons.

Strengths

• Includes five distinct acoustic facies (I, II, IIIA, IIIC, IIID) with key attributes captured in a GIS.
• Delineates four major geomorphological features: continental shelf, marine terraces, continental slope, and continental rise.
• Data is groundtruthed against seafloor samples, linking acoustic interpretation to physical samples.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data collection occurred in 2000/2001; freshness should be verified for contemporary applications.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia's South and Southwest Regional Project, via the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Collection Method

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

Time Range

2000/2001

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-10 17:28:08.063015; freshness should be verified

Geography

Great Australian Bight (GAB) and the South and Southwest (SSW) region of Australia, including the South Australian abyssal plain.