Christmas Island Seafloor Bathymetry and Sediment Thickness Maps

Eight seismic profiles totaling 2000 km, plus bathymetric data, were collected by the R/V Rig Seismic in February 1992 to assess seabed morphology and sediment thickness around Christmas Island. The Australian Geological Survey Organisation compiled this data with other sources to produce new 1:1,000,000 scale bathymetric and sediment thickness maps. This work was conducted in the early 1990s to support the declaration of a 200-mile Fisheries Zone.

Use Cases

• Analyze sediment thickness maps to identify potential offshore mineral resource deposits.
• Study high-resolution bathymetric data to model the structure of the Java Trench and outer-arc ridge.
• Compare new seamount distribution data with older, lower-resolution maps to update nautical charts.
• Use seismic profile data to correlate subsurface geological structures with seafloor morphology features.

Strengths

• Eight seismic profiles totaling approximately 2000 km of data.
• Bathymetric data coverage is almost twice the length of the seismic lines.
• Compiled into a new, detailed map at a 1:1,000,000 scale, improving upon older 1:5,000,000 maps.

Limitations

• Data collection was focused in February 1992, providing a single snapshot in time.
• Primary data formats are HTML and PDF reports, not raw, machine-readable data files.
• The description notes insufficient data coverage east of Christmas Island in older maps, which may have been only partially resolved.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, incorporating data from R/V Rig Seismic survey and the USA National Geophysical Data Bank.

Collection Method

Marine seismic reflection profiling and bathymetric data collection during a dedicated survey cruise.

Time Range

Primary data collected in February 1992.

Freshness

null

Geography

Christmas Island area in the Indian Ocean, approximately 350 km south of Java.