Abstract

The Bonaparte Gulf Basin and parts of the Browse and Money Shoal Basins occur beneath the Australian continental shelf in the area bounded by longitudes 121°E and 132°E and extending to the southwest to latitude 15°S.

The Australian coastline, except in the Bonaparte Gulf, is bounded by areas of thin generally flat-lying Mesozoic sediments overlying basement. These areas are separated by hinge zones from areas of thicker Mesozoic and Palaeozoic sediments.

The Mesozoic and Tertiary sediments, at least, are typical of those expected on a continental shelf subjected to periodic transgressions and regressions of the sea.

The most common diastrophism is faulting which has formed the hinge lines, the Rob Roy Graben in the Browse Basin, a pre-Mesozoic graben in the Money Shoal Basin, and the Ashmore-Sahul Block, Sahul Ridge, and Cartier Trough in the Bonaparte Gulf Basin. Salt diapirs intrude part of the sequence in the Bonaparte Gulf Basin.