Albany Submarine Canyon Complex: Geomorphology and Origin Off Southwest Australia

A geological study of the Albany Canyon complex, which extends 700 km from Cape Leeuwin to east of Esperance. The dataset, hosted by the Australian Ocean Data Network, describes canyon dimensions, structure, and a proposed evolutionary history from the Jurassic to the Middle/Late Eocene. It was last updated on 2026-06-05.

Use Cases

• Modeling submarine canyon evolution based on described geological history and structural controls.
• Analyzing the relationship between sea-level changes and canyon initiation based on the described Middle/Late Eocene boundary event.
• Studying the influence of bedrock lithology on canyon morphology based on the described differences between upper and lower slope characteristics.
• Investigating sediment transport pathways based on the described shift from siliciclastic to carbonate sedimentation.

Strengths

• Provides specific spatial scale: the canyon complex extends 700 km with individual canyons up to 90 km offshore.
• Includes concrete depth measurements: canyons have cut down 1500-2000 m in places.
• Offers a detailed proposed temporal framework for canyon formation spanning from the Jurassic to the Middle/Late Eocene (~40-43 Ma).

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 data_gov_au, focusing solely on southwest Australia.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Analysis based on seismic profiles and geological sequences exposed by the canyons.

Time Range

Jurassic to Middle/Late Eocene (with focus on events ~43-40 million years ago)

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-05 05:49:57.271163; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Continental slope off southwest Australia, from Cape Leeuwin to east of Esperance.