Crustal Mass Variation in Australia from Seismic Refraction Surveys

Geoscience Australia Data provides a dataset on crustal mass deficiency (CMD) across Australia and nearby marine areas, derived from seismic refraction surveys. The data includes CMD values ranging from about 13 to 21 kt/m^2 on land and 15 to 17 kt/m^2 in marine regions, calculated using corrections for elevation and free-air gravity. The dataset was last updated on 2026-04-30.

Use Cases

• Modeling regional isostatic compensation based on crustal mass deficiency (CMD) values.
• Analyzing the relationship between crustal density-depth structure and surface gravity anomalies.
• Mapping variations in crustal thickness and composition across the Australian continent and its margins.

Strengths

• CMD values are provided with specific ranges: 13-21 kt/m^2 on land and 15-17 kt/m^2 in marine areas.
• Data is derived from seismic refraction surveys, a direct geophysical measurement method.
• The dataset is produced by Geoscience Australia, a national geological survey organization.

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 are not standard for quantitative analysis and may require extraction.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Calculated from averages of crustal velocities and layer thicknesses obtained via seismic refraction surveys.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-30 15:30:18.680911; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Australia and nearby marine areas.