Great Barrier Reef Porites Coral U-Th Isotope Data for Chronology Studies

NERP TE 1.3, UQ provides 43 thermal ionisation mass spectrometry (TIMS) U-Th dates from living Porites corals of known ages. The data were collected from the far northern, central, and southern inshore regions of the Great Barrier Reef to spatially constrain initial thorium isotope variability. This dataset is hosted by the Australian Ocean Data Network and was last updated on 2026-07-13.

Use Cases

• Calibrating U-Th dating methods for young coral samples based on known band-counting ages.
• Analyzing spatial variability in initial thorium isotope ratios across different regions of the Great Barrier Reef.
• Pinpointing the timing of coral mortality events and changes in community structure in recent centuries.
• Studying the impact of land modification in nearby catchment areas on coral geochemistry.

Strengths

• Contains 43 precise U-Th dates derived from thermal ionisation mass spectrometry (TIMS).
• Samples are from 11 modern Porites coral colonies with known ages constrained by annual band counting.
• Data provides spatial coverage across three distinct regions of the Great Barrier Reef.
• Analytical procedures follow established protocols from cited scientific literature.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the sampled inshore regions of the Great Barrier Reef.

Provenance

Source

University of Queensland Radiogenic Isotope Facility, likely under the National Environmental Research Program (NERP).

Collection Method

Thermal ionisation mass spectrometry (TIMS) analysis of drilled coral samples from live Porites colonies.

Time Range

Samples are modern (living corals), with analysis relevant for dating events since the 1850s.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-13 11:13:37.662664; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Far northern, central, and southern inshore regions of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia.