Seafloor Morphology and Tectonics of the Christmas Island Area, Indian Ocean

Geoscience Australia Data compiled bathymetric and sediment thickness maps for the Christmas Island area. The data includes eight seismic profiles totalling about 2000 km and bathymetric data from a 1992 survey, combined with other institutional data. This collection provides a revised 1:1,000,000 scale map offering more detail than previous compilations from the 1970s and 1980s.

Use Cases

• Compile high-resolution bathymetric maps based on digital water depth and seismic data.
• Assess sediment thickness for offshore mineral resource evaluation based on seismic profiles.
• Study the distribution of seamounts and the structure of the Java Trench based on new bathymetric detail.
• Compare seafloor mapping methodologies between modern digital surveys and older analog records.

Strengths

• Includes eight seismic profiles totalling about 2000 km of data from a dedicated 1992 survey.
• Compiles a revised bathymetric map at a 1:1,000,000 scale, providing more detail than previous 1:5,000,000 or 1:10,000,000 maps.
• Integrates data from multiple sources, including the USA National Geophysical Data Bank, for improved area coverage.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data files are in PDF and HTML formats, which may require extraction for computational analysis.
• The primary survey data is from 1992, which may not reflect recent seafloor changes.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Data was acquired via a seismic survey cruise in February 1992 and combined with digital water depths from the USA National Geophysical Data Bank.

Time Range

Primary survey data from 1992, incorporating older data for context.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-14 09:42:24.902602; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Christmas Island area in the Wharton basin, Indian Ocean, approximately 350 km south of Java and 1600 km north-northwest of Australia's Northwest Cape.