A new atlas has been released through a joint venture between Geoscience Australia and the Australian National University that charts over 30 years’ worth of deep seismic surveys, resulting in 12,000km of deep crustal coverage across Australia.

The title, Deep Crustal Seismic Reflection Profiling Australia 1978–2011, presents the full suite of reflection profiles penetrating the whole crust carried out in Australia from 1978-2011 by Geoscience Australia and various partners.

Seismic surveys are undertaking by transmitting sound waves into the Earth – either by detonating explosives or through the use of Vibroseis vibrating trucks – and measuring the way the sound waves bounce off of the different geological structures and rock types lying below.

The set of reflection data provides an insight into the variations in crustal architecture in the varied geological domains. Each reflection profile is presented at approximately true scale with up to 220 km of profile per page and overlap between pages.

Each reflection section is accompanied by a geological strip map showing the configuration of the line superimposed on 1:1M geology. The compilation includes a number of large scale reflection transects groups of 1,000 km or more that link across major geological provinces, and an extensive bibliography of reports and relevant publications.

The atlas has been published as part of the UNCOVER initiative, which identifies that improved information about the sub-surface is a prerequisite for extending mineral exploration into areas of Australia with sedimentary cover.

The atlas is available for free download here.

More information on the Seismic Acquisition and Processing Project is available from Geoscience Australia.