A multi-disciplinary site investigation for the assessment of drilling geohazards and environmental impact within the northern Bonaparte Basin

摘要

The findings of this survey corroborate the findings of other studies about the Bonaparte Basin, supporting the hypothesis that a barrier reef complex extended from the Sahul platform through to the Ashmore reef area approximately 18 000 years ago, during the last sea level regression. These reefs appear to have grown periodically with changes in the marine environment. When sea levels began to rise rapidly approximately 15 000 to 13 000 years b.p., the majority of the reef-building corals became extinct and were buried beneath successive layers of unconsolidated marine sediment. The present survey highlights the magnitude of the challenges that may encounter during a drilling campaign.