Kenn Plateau Geology: Seismic and Bathymetric Survey Results from 2004

Geoscience Australia Cruise 270 collected multibeam-sonar bathymetry, 3090 km of multichannel seismic data, magnetic data, and rock samples from the Kenn Plateau off northeast Australia. The dataset documents the plateau's complex structure of thinned continental crust, rift basins, and volcanic edifices. Dredged sedimentary rocks have been dated micropaleontologically as Eocene and younger.

Use Cases

• Modeling crustal thinning and subsidence rates based on described geological sequences and structures.
• Analyzing the tectonic history of rift basins using the described Late Cretaceous to Cainozoic seismic sequences.
• Studying the interaction of hotspot volcanism (Tasmantid chain) with continental crust using the described Oligocene volcanic edifices.
• Mapping basement ridges and troughs based on the continuous multibeam-sonar swath-bathymetry data mentioned.

Strengths

• Includes 3090 km of multichannel seismic reflection data.
• Covers approximately 140,000 square kilometers of the Kenn Plateau.
• Integrates multiple data types: bathymetry, seismic, magnetic, and physical rock samples from 12 dredge hauls.

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 computational analysis.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Marine geoscience survey conducted by R.V. Southern Surveyor (Cruise SS5/2004) using multibeam sonar, seismic reflection, magnetic instruments, and rock dredging.

Time Range

Survey conducted in 2004; geological data covers Late Cretaceous to Recent periods.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-20 02:48:39.456298; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Kenn Plateau, off northeast Australia, in the Tasman Basin region.