Kenn Plateau Marine Geology Survey with Seismic and Bathymetric Data

A 2004 voyage by the RV Southern Surveyor collected geological data from the Kenn Plateau off northeast Australia. The survey gathered 3090 km of seismic data and 7584 km of bathymetric data, alongside a limited number of rock samples. This data aims to improve the geological understanding of a poorly known part of Australia's marine jurisdiction.

Use Cases

• Modeling geological evolution based on high-quality seismic data.
• Improving bathymetric maps and studying sedimentary processes using swath-mapping data.
• Building a regional geological history from recovered ancient rock samples.

Strengths

• Includes 3090 km of high-quality seismic reflection data.
• Contains 7584 km of bathymetric data from a SIMRAD EM 300 multibeam sonar system.
• Represents the first recovery of ancient rocks from this frontier offshore region.

Limitations

• Sampling program was curtailed, resulting in only 12 dredge hauls and one grab sample.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Marine survey conducted aboard the RV Southern Surveyor, utilizing seismic reflection, swath-mapping sonar, and dredge sampling.

Time Range

2004

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-20 02:30:10.380935; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Kenn Plateau, off northeast Australia.