Seabed Environments and Shallow Geology of the Vlaming Sub-Basin, Western Australia

In March and April 2012, Geoscience Australia acquired seabed characterisation data to assess CO2 storage potential. The survey collected 653 km² of multibeam and backscatter data, 6.65 km² of side-scan sonar imagery, and 89 seabed grab samples from 43 stations. Data focuses on two areas of the Rottnest Shelf above the South Perth Shale seal and Gage Sandstone reservoir.

Use Cases

• Assess seal integrity for CO2 storage based on seabed and sub-surface geological data.
• Map seabed geomorphology and structural lineaments using multibeam and side-scan sonar imagery.
• Analyze sediment composition and rhodolith bed distribution from seabed grab samples.
• Investigate potential fluid seepage pathways linking deep geology to the seabed.

Strengths

• Survey covers 653 km² of multibeam and backscatter data.
• Includes 89 seabed grab samples from 43 stations.
• Acquired concurrent chirper shallow sub-bottom profile data.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The precise relationship between seabed features and fluid seepage is noted as uncertain.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia, via the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Collection Method

Marine environmental survey involving multibeam sonar, side-scan sonar, chirper sub-bottom profiling, and seabed sampling.

Time Range

March-April 2012.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-27 21:37:59.627519; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Vlaming Sub-basin, Western Australia, specifically two areas on the Rottnest Shelf.