The dataset describes the geological evolution of the Kenn Plateau, a submarine continental fragment with an area of about 140,000 km² located 500 km east of Queensland. It details processes from the Late Triassic to the present day, including Cretaceous basin formation, Late Cretaceous stretching, Paleocene drifting, and subsequent volcanic and sedimentary events. The data is provided by the Australian Ocean Data Network and was last updated in June 2026.
Use Cases
- Modeling plate tectonic reconstructions based on described fault structures and rotation history.
- Analyzing sedimentary basin evolution using described sequences of siliciclastic and carbonate deposition.
- Studying hotspot volcanism and seamount formation based on the described Tasmantid and Lord Howe volcanic chains.
- Investigating regional unconformities and their correlation to tectonic events like the New Caledonian obduction.
Strengths
- Covers a significant geological time range from the Late Triassic to the present day.
- Describes a specific, quantified geographic feature with an area of about 140,000 km² and subsidence of 2000 m or more.
- Provides a detailed narrative of geological processes including rifting, drifting, volcanism, and sedimentation.
Limitations
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to data_gov_au, focusing on a single region.
Provenance
- Source
- Australian Ocean Data Network
- Time Range
- Late Triassic to present day
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-06-23 00:58:17.632653; freshness should be verified.
- Geography
- Kenn Plateau, Southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Queensland, Australia