Geomorphology of the Australian Margin and Adjacent Seafloor

For the first time, the distribution of seafloor geomorphic features has been systematically mapped over much of the Australian margin and adjacent seafloor. Each of 21 feature types was identified using a new, 250 m spatial resolution bathymetry model and supporting literature. The total area mapped was 48.9 million km2 and included the seafloor surrounding the Australian mainland and island territories of Christmas, Cocos (Keeling), Macquarie and Norfolk Islands. Of this total mapped area, the shelf is 41.9 million km2 (21.92%), the slope 44.0 million km2 (44.80%) and the abyssal plain/deep ocean floor 42.8 million km2 (32.20%). The rise covers 97 070 km2 or 1.08% of the mapped area. A total of 6702 individual geomorphic features were mapped. Plateaus have the largest surface area and cover 1.49 million km2 or 16.54%, followed by basins (714 000 km2; 7.98%), and terraces (577 700 km2; 6.44%), with the remaining 14 types each making up 55%. Reefs, which total 4172 individual features (47 900 km2; 0.54%), are the most numerous type of geomorphic feature, principally due to the large number of individual coral reefs of the Great Barrier Reef. The geomorphology of the margin is most complex where marginal plateaus, terraces, trench/troughs and submarine canyons are present. Comparison with global seafloor geomorphology indicates that the Australian margin is relatively under-represented in shelf and rise and over-represented in slope area, a pattern that reflects the mainland being bounded on three sides by rifted continent ocean margins and associated large marginal plateaus. Significantly, marginal plateaus on the Australian margin cover 20% of the total world area of marginal plateaus. The mapped area can be divided into 10 geomorphic regions by quantifying regional differences in diagnostic assemblages of features, and these regions can be used as a starting-point to infer broad-scale seafloor habitat types.

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Identification info

Date (Publication)
2008-01-01T00:00:00
Citation identifier
Geoscience Australia Persistent Identifier/https://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/69597

Citation identifier
Digital Object Identifier/http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08120090801888669

Cited responsible party
Role Organisation / Individual Name Details
Author

Heap, A.D.

 1
Author

Harris, P.T.

 2
Point of contact
Role Organisation / Individual Name Details
Custodian

EGD
Owner

Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia)
Custodian

Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia)

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Topic category
  • Geoscientific information

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N
S
E
W


Maintenance and update frequency
Unknown
Keywords

  • External Publication

  • Scientific Journal Paper

Theme

  • bathymetry

  • continental margins

  • geomorphology

  • mapping

  • marine

Keywords

  • AU-EEZ

Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC)

  • Earth Sciences

Keywords

  • Published_External

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Title

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence

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CC-BY

Edition

4.0

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http://creativecommons.org/licenses/

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License

Resource constraints

Title

Australian Government Security ClassificationSystem

Edition date
2018-11-01T00:00:00
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https://www.protectivesecurity.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx

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Unclassified
Language
English
Character encoding
UTF8

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Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia)

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OnLine resource

Related product

Related product: Geomorphic Features of the Continental Margin of Australia

OnLine resource

Related product

Related product: Geomorphic Features 2006

OnLine resource

Digital Object Identifier

Link to Publication

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Unknown

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Non geographic dataset
Other

External Publication

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Source data not available.

Metadata constraints

Title

Australian Government Security ClassificationSystem

Edition date
2018-11-01T00:00:00
Website

https://www.protectivesecurity.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx

Classification
Unclassified

Metadata

Metadata identifier
urn:uuid/a05f7892-ee23-7506-e044-00144fdd4fa6

Title

GeoNetwork UUID

Language
English
Character encoding
UTF8
Contact
Role Organisation / Individual Name Details
Point of contact

Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia)

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Type of resource

Resource scope
Document
Name

nonGeographicDataset

Alternative metadata reference

Title

Geoscience Australia - short identifier for metadata record with

uuid

Citation identifier
eCatId/69597

Metadata linkage

https://ecat.ga.gov.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/a05f7892-ee23-7506-e044-00144fdd4fa6

Date info (Revision)
2018-04-22T08:15:16
Date info (Creation)
2009-10-01T00:00:00

Metadata standard

Title

AU/NZS ISO 19115-1:2014

Metadata standard

Title

ISO 19115-1:2014

Metadata standard

Title

ISO 19115-3

Title

Geoscience Australia Community Metadata Profile of ISO 19115-1:2014

Edition

Version 2.0, September 2018

Citation identifier
https://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/122551

 
 

Spatial extent

N
S
E
W


Keywords

bathymetry continental margins geomorphology mapping marine

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