Shear Wave Velocity Model of the South Australian Craton to 250 km Depth

Southern Australia's lithospheric structure is modeled using teleseismic Rayleigh waves from three broadband seismic arrays. The dataset compares shear wave velocity from the lower crust to 250 km depth with isotope, xenolith, and 3D mantle resistivity data. It was published by O'Donnell et al. in 2025 and hosted by Geoscience Australia Data.

Use Cases

• Mapping cratonic lithospheric mantle boundaries based on shear wave velocity anomalies.
• Correlating seismic velocity with mineral prospectivity for iron oxide-copper-gold deposits.
• Investigating the tectonic implications of lithospheric structure for models of Rodinia breakup.
• Comparing geophysical signatures of cratonic mantle with independent isotope and xenolith data.

Strengths

• Integrates multiple data types: seismic tomography, isotope data, xenolith data, and 3D mantle resistivity structure.
• Provides a velocity model extending from the lower crust to a specific depth of 250 km.
• Focuses on a defined geographic region: the South Australian Craton, including the Gawler Craton and Curnamona Province.

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 specific seismic arrays used.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Teleseismic Rayleigh wave tomography from three broadband seismic arrays.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-24 02:59:41.133032; freshness should be verified.

Geography

South Australian Craton, including the Gawler Craton, Curnamona Province, and Adelaide Superbasin.