Offshore seismic surveys have long been considered to be disruptive to fisheries, and recent claims have been made that marine seismic operations cause scallop declines in southeastern Australia. Despite the importance of this issue to both fisheries and petroleum industries, few studies target commercially important species in realistic exposure scenarios. One of the main challenges in underwater sound impact studies is the meaningful translation of laboratory results to the field, largely due to variations due to underwater sound properties and experimental set-ups. In the current study, we use in situ experiments to investigate whether field populations of the commercial (Pectens fumatus ) and doughboy scallops (Mimachlamys asperrima) are negatively affected by a seismic survey undertaken in the Gippsland Basin in April 2015 (30 80 m depth). Both theoretical and field-based noise propagation models were developed to quantify noise exposure of the animals at the seabed and to establish whether sound monitoring markedly improves model outputs. Images of the seafloor at were acquired using an Automated Underwater Vehicle (AUV) to evaluate the novel use of AUVs in scallop stock assessment. Samples were collected before and after the seismic survey using a commercial scallop dredge, and a range of metrics are currently being quantified. In this presentation, we describe preliminary results and critically review our current understanding of low-frequency sound impact on marine molluscs.

The coverage of this dataset is over the WestNarranLake region . The C3 LAS data set contains point data in LAS 1.2 format sourced from a LiDAR ( Light Detection and Ranging ) from an ALS50 ( Airborne Laser Scanner ) sensor . The processed data has been manually edited to achieve LPI classification level 3 whereby the ground class contains minimal non-ground points such as vegetation, water , bridges , temporary features , jetties etc . Purpose: To provide fit-for-purpose elevation data for use in applications related to coastal vulnerability assessment, natural resource management ( especially water and forests) , transportation and urban planning . Additional lineage information: This data has an accuracy of 0.3m ( 95 CI ) vertical and 0.8m ( 95 CI ) horizontal with a minimum point density of one laser pulse per square metre . For more information on the datas accuracy, refer to the lineage provided in the data history .

Submerged relict reef systems and modern coral communities discovered around the Balls Pyramid shelf are presented as new evidence of extensive carbonate production at the boundary of reef-forming seas. Balls Pyramid is the southernmost island in a chain of island-reefs in the southwest Pacific Ocean, 24 km south of the southernmost known coral reef in the Pacific Ocean at Lord Howe Island. This paper explores the detailed geomorphic structure of the shelf through the production of a high resolution bathymetric model from multibeam echosounder data and depth estimates from satellite imagery. Key seafloor features identified include a large, mid shelf reef dominating the shelf landscape in 20 - 60 m water depth, mid shelf basins and channels, and shelf margin terrace sequences in 50 - 100 m depth. Sub-bottom profiles, backscatter, drill core and vibro-core data are used to investigate the seafloor composition. Drill cores extracted from the submerged reef surface confirm coral, coralline algae and cemented sands composition, and vibro-core material extracted from unconsolidated areas demonstrate substantial accumulation of carbonates shed from the reef surface. Underwater video imagery reveals abundant modern mesophotic reef communities, including hard corals, colonising the relict reef surface. This paper reveals prolific past reef growth and abundant modern coral growth on what was previously considered to be a planated volcanic shelf outside of reef-forming seas, thus extending understanding of reef evolution at, and beyond, the limits of growth.

The coverage of this dataset is over the PortStephens region . The C3 LAS data set contains point data in LAS 1.2 format sourced from a LiDAR ( Light Detection and Ranging ) from an ALS50 ( Airborne Laser Scanner ) sensor . The processed data has been manually edited to achieve LPI classification level 3 whereby the ground class contains minimal non-ground points such as vegetation , water , bridges , temporary features , jetties etc . Purpose: To provide fit-for-purpose elevation data for use in applications related to coastal vulnerability assessment, natural resource management ( especially water and forests) , transportation and urban planning . Additional lineage information: This data has an accuracy of 0.3m ( 95 CI ) vertical and 0.8m ( 95 CI ) horizontal with a minimum point density of one laser pulse per square metre . For more information on the datas accuracy, refer to the lineage provided in the data history .

This suite of products contains topographical relief generated from raw LiDAR data and covers the Southern extent of the Murray Darling Basin within the proximity of the Murray River. LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) is an airborne remote sensing technique for rapid collection of terrain data. The sensor used for this LiDAR project collected XYZ and Intensity data for 2 returns, first and last (ground) return by bouncing a pulse from the aircraft to the surface that enables the height and intensity values to be calculated. Height data within the first and last return raw LiDAR data was processed into 1m pixel DEMs. The intensity data with the first return raw LiDAR data was processed into a 1m pixel intensity image. The 1m cell size products, due to their large file sizes, are stored as 2km by 2km tiles to help facilitate data management and processing. The complete study area, covering 1.7million hectares, contains 5,288 of these tiles. All the above derived products were initially created as value added products by the Land Information Group (LIG), of the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE), Victoria. This acquisition was commissioned by Murray Darling Basin Commission (MDBC) and participating Consortium members including: Barmah Millewa Forum Murray Irrigation Limited, NSW Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources - Deniliquin North Central Catchment Management Authority (CMA) Department of Urban Affairs and Planning, NSW Goulburn Broken CMA, Vic North East CMA, Vic

Compilation of new and existing data can be used to show systematic variations in initial ore-related Pb isotope ratios and derived parameters for the Lachlan and Delamerian orogens of southeast Australia. In addition to mapping tectonic boundaries and providing genetic context to mineralising processes, these variations map mineralised provinces at the orogenic scale and can provide vectors to ore at the district scale. In New South Wales and Victoria, mapping using a parameter termed the 'Lachlan Lead Index' (LLI), which measures relative mixing between crustal- and mantle-derived Pb using the curves of Carr et al. (1995, Economic Geology 90:14671505), clearly demarcates the boundary between the Eastern and Central Lachlan provinces, and seems to identify boundaries between zones within the Western Lachlan Province of Victoria. The LLI also maps the extent of the isotopically juvenile Macquarie 'Arc' in New South Wales. However, rocks in the Rockley-Gulgong Belt, initially mapped as part of the Macquarie Arc, have a more evolved isotopic character, suggesting that these rocks are not part of the Macquarie Arc. This interpretation supports recent mapping that casts doubt on the attribution of this belt to the Macquarie Arc (Quinn, et al., 2014, Journal of the Geological Society of London 171:723736). The LLI has also identified small exposures of Ordovician volcanic rocks, well removed from the main Macquarie Arc, as possible correlates to this arc, with potential to host porphyry and epithermal deposits. Metallogenically, porphyry Cu-Au deposits in the Macquarie Arc are characterised by juvenile Pb. In contrast, Sn and Mo deposits in the Central Lachlan Province (i.e., the Wagga tin belt) are characterised by highly evolved Pb even though these deposits formed over 30 million years. Moreover, the Pb isotope data suggest that the original interpretation that copper deposits in the Girilambone district are volcanic-associated massive sulfide deposits was correct and that these deposits formed in a back-arc to the Macquarie Arc at ~480 Ma. In the Mount Read Volcanics of western Tasmania, all deposits appear to cluster along the same growth curve. However, when divided according to age (i.e., Cambrian (~500 Ma) versus Devonian (~360 Ma)), spatial patterns are visible in 206Pb/204Pb data. For Cambrian deposits 206Pb/204Pb decreases overall to the southeast, although low values are also present in the far south (i.e., Elliott Bay) and northeast. The most highly mineralised central part of the belt seems to be broadly associated with the zone of highest 206Pb/204Pb. Variations in 206Pb/204Pb for Devonian deposits broadly mimic the patterns seen for the Cambrian deposits. More importantly, a district-scale pattern in 206Pb/204Pb is present in the Zeehan district. Isotopically, the Sn-dominated core of the Zeehan district (e.g. Queen Hill and Severn deposits) is characterised by high 206Pb/204Pb, which decreases outward into the Zn-Pb-Ag-dominated peripheries. Lead isotope distribution patterns can potentially be used as an ore vector in this and other intrusion-centered mineral systems.

Based on calcareous nannofossil evidence, the stratigraphically important interval with Hantkenina (H.) alabamensis primitiva Cushman and Jarvis in the upper Eocene of southern Australia is placed high in the foraminiferal Zone P. 16 of the tropics; previously it was correlated with the upper part of Zone P. 15. Consequently, the upper Eocene sediments above this interval at Browns Creek (Otway Basin) and Blanche Point (St Vincent Basin) are considered to represent an expanded section, with a very high rate of sedimentation. This is consistent with, and probably helps understanding of, the disjunct vertical distribution of several foraminiferal species reported previously in these sediments - particularly at Browns Creek.

Six sedimentary cycles, each hundreds of metres thick, have been recognised in the Surat Basin. The Jurassic cycles (nos. 1-4) typically started with high-energy deposition of coarse sediments, and ended with labile sand, silt, and mud. The environments are thought to have been braided streams, followed by meandering streams, swamps, lakes, and deltas. After a period of non-deposition or erosion, followed by a phase of high-energy deposition, the first Cretaceous cycle (no. 5) ended with marine mud; the second (cycle 6) started with paralic silt and sand and ended with shallow marine silt. The cycles are thought to be the result of global sea-level changes, characterised by rapid falls of sea level followed by slow rises, which, respectively, lowered and raised the base of erosion in the Surat Basin. During the Jurassic, the open sea lay several hundred kilometres to the east, and the sea only occasionally entered the basin, via the Brisbane and Toowoomba Straits. In the Cretaceous, the sea level was relatively higher and eustatic falls and rises of sea level led to alternating marine regressions and transgressions. The six Surat Basin cycles correspond in time to nine global sea-level oscillations. We think that some of the latter may have been too slight to be identified in the basin. There is also evidence that local isostatic movements may have exaggerated the impact of some global cycles and obscured that of others.

The Lithgow earthquake of magnitude ML 4.3, which took place on 13 February 1985, was the largest earthquake to have occurred in the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales since the Kurrajong earthquake of 1919. It caused minor damage in Lithgow and Wallerawang and was felt as far away as Parkes and Dubbo, 200 km from the epicentre. The total damage was estimated at approximately $65 000. Macroseismic and instrumental evidence suggests that, for this earthquake, the attenuation to the northeast in and under the Sydney Basin was much greater than the attenuation to the southwest through the Lachlan Fold Belt.