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

Christmas Island lies about 1600 km north-northwest of Australia's Northwest Cape and approximately 350 km south of Java. The dataset includes eight seismic profiles totalling about 2000 km and bathymetric data collected in February 1992 by the RAT 'Rig Seismic' vessel, combined with data from other institutions, to compile new bathymetric and sediment thickness maps. The data was used to produce a revised 1:1,000,000 scale bathymetric map for the Australian Geological Survey Organisation's (AGSO) Offshore Resources Map Series.

Use Cases

• Modeling seafloor tectonic structures based on seismic profile data.
• Mapping sediment thickness distribution for resource assessment.
• Analyzing seamount distribution and bathymetric complexity at a 1:1,000,000 scale.
• Studying the structure of the Java Trench and outer-arc ridge using high-quality bathymetric data.

Strengths

• Includes about 2000 km of seismic profiles from a dedicated 1992 survey.
• Integrates digital water depths from the USA National Geophysical Data Bank (NGDC).
• Compiled a new 1:1,000,000 scale bathymetric map with more detail than previous 1:5,000,000 or 1:10,000,000 maps.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data is primarily from a 1992 survey; freshness should be verified for contemporary applications.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, likely originating from AGSO (Australian Geological Survey Organisation).

Collection Method

Data collected via seismic and bathymetric survey by the RAT 'Rig Seismic' vessel, combined with digital data from other institutions.

Time Range

Primary survey conducted in February 1992; incorporates older published maps from the 1970s and 1980s.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-10 16:47:38.446215; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Christmas Island area in the northern Wharton basin, Indian Ocean.