Crustal Mass Variation in Australia from Seismic and Gravity Data

Crustal mass deficiency (CMD) values range from about 13 to 21 kt/m^2 across Australia and 15 to 17 kt/m^2 in nearby marine areas. The dataset is derived from seismic refraction surveys, with density-depth structures corrected for elevation and free-air gravity to characterize deviations from isostatic equilibrium. It is provided by Geoscience Australia Data and was last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Model regional isostatic compensation based on crustal mass deficiency (CMD) values.
• Analyze the relationship between crustal density structure and surface gravity anomalies.
• Map variations in crustal composition and thickness across the Australian continent.
• Study mantle involvement in isostatic compensation where crustal mass variations are incomplete.

Strengths

• Quantitative CMD values are provided with a specific range (13-21 kt/m^2).
• Data integrates multiple geophysical methods: seismic refraction, gravity, and elevation corrections.
• Spatial coverage includes the Australian continent and nearby marine areas.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is provided in PDF and HTML formats, which may require extraction for analysis.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Derived from seismic refraction surveys, with averages used to estimate density-depth structures and apply gravity/elevation corrections.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-25 17:57:03.329734; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Australia and nearby marine areas