Pleistocene Sea-Level Changes and Sedimentary Sequence in Southeast South Australia

A drilling program in southeast South Australia analyzed a regressive sedimentary sequence developed over 690,000 years or less. The data indicates at least 20 major high sea-level stands during this period, resulting in 100 km of shoreline progradation. The Australian Ocean Data Network published this analysis, with metadata last updated in April 2026.

Use Cases

• Correlating sedimentary facies (beach sands, aeolian sands, interdunal facies) with Pleistocene sea-level high stands.
• Modeling the timeline of 100 km shoreline progradation between Naracoorte and Robe over the 690,000-year sequence.
• Analyzing the relationship between volcanic activity in the Mount Gambier-Mount Burr area and regional uplift data.
• Reconstructing paleo-environments using data on facies transitions from bay/estuarine to lagoonal to saline lacustrine conditions.
• Calibrating eustatic sea-level change models with the documented record of at least 20 major high stands.

Strengths

• Analysis covers a significant temporal span of up to 690,000 years.
• Identifies a specific geomorphic outcome: 100 km of seaward shoreline progradation.
• Documents at least 20 distinct major high sea-level stands within the sequence.

Limitations

• Core data and measurements from the drilling program are not directly accessible; only interpretive documents (HTML, PDF) are provided.
• The spatial coverage is limited to the specific corridor between Naracoorte and Robe in southeast South Australia.
• Row counts, sample data, and structured data columns are unavailable for direct computational analysis.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network.

Collection Method

Analysis based on a recent drilling program in the region.

Time Range

Late Cainozoic, specifically Pleistocene, covering up to 690,000 years.

Freshness

Metadata indicates a recent update in April 2026.

Geography

Southeast South Australia, between Naracoorte and Robe.