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Ausgeo News March 2005 Issue no. 77
The national repository of seismic data on the sub-surface geology of Australia's offshore marine jurisdiction is undergoing a media makeover.
Under the Petroleum Submerged Lands Act 1967 (PSLA) all companies and organisations acquiring seismic survey data within the Australian marine jurisdiction have been required to submit the raw and processed data to Geoscience Australia. Data that are part of a work program are confidential for three years from the date of acquisition. After this period the data are accessible by companies or any other interested party.
This repository of information is made available to exploration companies at cost of transfer. However, much of the data is recorded on outdated media, including 9 and 21 track tapes and 3480 cartridges, making it increasingly difficult to access and expensive to store.
Companies have been required to borrow the large number of older media associated with a seismic survey and return copies to Geoscience Australia. To preserve older data and make it accessible to explorers, Geoscience Australia was allocated $10 million in the 2003-04 Australian Government Budget to be used for the copying and concatenation of the data onto high-density media.
The overall project involves copying around 285 000 old tapes onto about 12 000 3590B tapes. This media – which holds 10 gigabytes of data per tape – has been the industry standard since 1990. More than 90% of Geoscience Australia's repository of seismic data has been collected in that time, and is stored on just over 40 000 3590B tapes.
Transcription, quality control and physical disposal are being carried out by commercial companies in Perth. The transcription contracts were awarded to Guardian Data and SpectrumData, and quality control is being undertaken by GeoCom Services Australia. After copies are approved, the original tapes are disposed of in Perth to be recycled into plastic products.
The remastering project has been running for one year. To date, about 100 000 nine-track tapes and 40 000 3480 cartridges have been transcribed (see table 1 for list of completed surveys).
The project is delivering easier access and lower costs for petroleum companies and other clients.
Survey | Year | Basin | State |
---|---|---|---|
NT/P36 Marine Seismic (Arafura Sea S81) | 1981 | Arafura Basin / Money Shoal Basin | NT |
Bridge Bass 1990 Marine Seismic | 1990 | Bark Sub-basin / Bass Basin/Boobyalla Sub-basin / Durroon Basin | TAS |
Donna Marine Seismic | 1995 | Barrow Sub-basin / Carnarvon Basin | WA |
C81A Marine Seismic | 1982 | Barrow Sub-basin / Carnarvon Basin / Exmouth Plateau | WA |
C81B Marine Seismic | 1981 | Barrow Sub-basin / Carnarvon Basin / Exmouth Plateau | WA |
C81B Marine Seismic | 1981 | Barrow Sub-basin / Carnarvon Basin / Exmouth Plateau | WA |
Hummock Marine Seismic | 1996 | Bass Basin | TAS |
Bass 1988 Marine Seismic | 1988 | Bass Basin | TAS |
HB 80A and Pookanah Detail Marine Seismic | 1980 | Bass Basin | TAS |
BS89A/B - BS90A/B and T89/2 Marine Seismic | 1990 | Bass Basin / Torquay Sub-Basin | TAS |
Mahakam Marine Seismic | 1992 | Beagle Sub-basin / Carnarvon Basin | WA |
Mohaku 1993 Seismic | 1993 | Beagle Sub-basin / Carnarvon Basin | WA |
Dampier-Beagle Marine Seismic | 1975 | Beagle Sub-basin / Carnarvon Basin / Dampier Sub-Basin | WA |
Helvetius 1992 Marine Seismic | 1992 | Bonaparte Basin | WA |
Andromeda Marine Seismic | 1996 | Bonaparte Basin | NT |
Van Diemen Rise Seismic | 1969 | Bonaparte Basin | NT, WA |
Caspian Marine Seismic | 1991 | Bonaparte Basin | WA |
HV11 Skua 3D Marine Seismic | 1990 | Bonaparte Basin | NT |
PC95 Marine Seismic | 1995 | Bonaparte Basin | WA |
Anderdon Marine Seismic | 1990 | Bonaparte Basin | NT |
B89 Marine Seismic | 1989 | Bonaparte Basin | NT, WA |
Copernicus Marine Seismic | 1992 | Bonaparte Basin | NT |
NT/P47 and NT/P48 Marine Seismic | 1997 | Bonaparte Basin | NT |
H2683D Jabiru and Extension Marine Seismic | 1984 | Bonaparte Basin / Browse Basin / Vulcan Sub-basin | NT |
Endeavour Marine Seismic | 1995 | Bonaparte Basin / Vulcan Sub-basin | WA |
SPA 4SL/95-96 (Browse Basin) Marine Seismic | 1996 | Browse Basin | WA |
Calliance Reef Marine Seismic and Seismic Refraction | 1983 | Browse Basin | WA |
Churchill 1980 Marine Seismic | 1980 | Browse Basin | WA |
Interpretation of the Greater Caswell Area Marine Seismic | 1984 | Browse Basin | WA |
Sascha 1992 Seismic | 1992 | Browse Basin | WA |
C94A Marine Seismic | 1994 | Canning Basin | WA |
Lambert Shelf Marine Seismic | 1980 | Canning Basin / Carnarvon Basin | WA |
Minden 3D | 1995 | Carnarvon Basin | WA |
HH88 Marine Seismic | 1988 | Carnarvon Basin | WA |
SPA 3D Marine Seismic (Parker 3D) | 1991 | Carnarvon Basin | WA |
C83A Marine Seismic | 1983 | Carnarvon Basin | WA |
C83B Marine Seismic | 1983 | Carnarvon Basin | WA |
X95A Marine Seismic (Scarborough 2D) | 1995 | Carnarvon Basin | WA |
C92A Marine Seismic | 1992 | Carnarvon Basin | WA |
Boronia Marine Seismic | 1983 | Carnarvon Basin | WA |
Eaglehawk Marine Seismic | 1996 | Carnarvon Basin / Dampier Sub-basin | WA |
Michelle Marine Seismic | 1993 | Carnarvon Basin / Dampier Sub-basin | WA |
Exmouth South 1996 SPA 6SL (95-96) | 1996 | Carnarvon Basin / Exmouth Sub-basin | WA |
Cuvier 1992 Marine Seismic | 1992 | Carnarvon Basin / Gascoyne Sub-basin | WA |
Rundle Marine Seismic | 1994 | Carnarvon Basin / Gascoyne Sub-basin | WA |
NT/P32 1980 Marine Seismic | 1980 | Carpentaria Basin | NT |
Carpentaria Basin 1980 Marine Seismic | 1980 | Carpentaria Basin | NT |
Denman Basin Marine Seismic | 1972 | Denman Basin | SA |
Offshore Twilight Cove Seismic | 1970 | Eucla Basin | WA |
X78A Marine Seismic | 1978 | Exmouth Sub-Basin | WA |
GS81A Marine Seismic | 1982 | Gippsland Basin | VIC |
GP-81A Marine Seismic | 1981 | Gippsland Basin | VIC |
GUT-83A Marine Seismic and Magnetic | 1983 | Gippsland Basin | VIC |
GUT-83P Marine Seismic and Magnetic | 1983 | Gippsland Basin | TAS |
G89A Marine Seismic | 1990 | Gippsland Basin | VIC |
GH82A Marine Seismic and Magnetic | 1982 | Gippsland Basin | VIC |
G89A Marine Seismic: Blackback 3D Grid | 1990 | Gippsland Basin | VIC |
GS95A Marine Seismic (Basker Manta 3D) | 1995 | Gippsland Basin | VIC |
G84A Marine Seismic | 1985 | Gippsland Basin | VIC |
OH91B Marine Seismic | 1991 | Otway Basin | VIC |
OS90A | 1990 | Otway Basin | VIC |
Geelvink Channel Seismic | 1970 | Perth Basin | WA |
Plum Marine Seismic | 1992 | Perth Basin | WA |
For further information: Phone Paula Croninon +61 2 6249 9181 or e-mail paula.cronin@ga.gov.au