Data Trawler - Project details

Offshore western Tasmania, a gigantic 450km3 submarine landslide shows as an abrupt headscarp failure. At our knowledge, this submarine landslide has never been examined in detail before, despite being a remarkably sharp morphology on bathymetric maps. This project investigates the geomorphology and biodiversity of this region with four research aims:

1. To assess the morphology and internal structure of the submarine landslide to model transport and sedimentation processes of submarine landslides and associated mass flows.
2. Unravel the causes of failure of this submarine landslide and calculate the tsunamigenic potential of similar shelf collapses around Australia. Based on quantitative data collect at sea, numerically model tsunami inundation and use this model as representative example for tsunami risk mitigation for coastal Australia.
3. Map the offshore continuation of major fault zones and the highly mineralised Mount Read Volcanics to extend our understanding of the geology and tectonism of Tasmania. Map potential prospective resources on the shallow shelf.
4. Increase the knowledge of seafloor habitat features and associated biodiversity within this region and understand the drivers of the spatial distribution of seafloor biodiversity and nutrients in relation to concentration of nutrients in water, ocean currents (including upwelling) and fine-scale geomorphological variations.