Argo Abyssal Plain Tectonic and Sedimentary History from Bathymetry and Seismic Data

The Australian Ocean Data Network provides a dataset analyzing the tectonic and sedimentary history of the Argo Abyssal Plain in the eastern Indian Ocean. It is based on approximately 2800 km of bathymetric and seismic reflection profiles covering about 110,000 km². The analysis identifies structural features like the Wombat, Joey, and Kivi Grabens and correlates sedimentary sequences from the Late Jurassic to the Pleistocene.

Use Cases

• Modeling tectonic subsidence and crustal cooling based on identified structural features and sediment thickness.
• Analyzing sediment deposition trends controlled by basement structure, as described for Mesozoic and Miocene sequences.
• Correlating regional seismic stratigraphy using the five identified sequences (A-E) tied to ODP and DSDP sites.
• Investigating the impact of the Sunda Trench fore-bulge on sediment uplift in the northern and eastern parts of the plain.

Strengths

• Covers a substantial geographic area of approximately 110,000 km².
• Based on a significant length of geophysical profiles, totaling about 2800 km.
• Provides specific sediment thickness measurements, such as 1.2 km in the central basin and 0.6-0.8 km for Mesozoic sediments.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data files are in PDF and HTML formats, which may require extraction for quantitative analysis.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network via data_gov_au

Collection Method

Analysis of bathymetric and seismic reflection profiles.

Time Range

Late Jurassic to Pleistocene, with specific analysis of Oligocene to early Miocene (37-16 Ma) non-deposition event.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-05 05:54:00.545261; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Argo Abyssal Plain, eastern Indian Ocean