3D Geophysical Inversion Modelling of the Wallaby Plateau: Evidence for Continental Crust and Seaward-Dipping Reflectors

The Wallaby Plateau is a bathymetric high off the west coast of Western Australia. It is considered a frontier region as little is known about the subsurface geology. To further investigate the rock properties in this region, 3D inversion models of density and magnetic susceptibility were generated, from gravity and magnetic data respectively, using a model-based trend removal method. Inversions were performed using UBC-GIF software on the National Computational Infrastructure's supercomputer facility to generate high-resolution (~7.56 million cells), regional-scale (550 x 550 x 25 km volume) models. Two cores of relatively low density, similar to continental crust, are identified across the Wallaby Plateau in the 3D density model. Divergent dipping reflector sequences, identified in seismic interpretation, tend to dip away from the zones of interpreted continental crust and also correlate well with bodies of high magnetic susceptibility identified in the 3D magnetic susceptibility model. Together, this suggests that the divergent dipping reflector sequences are similar to seaward-dipping reflector sequences of volcanic rift margins.

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Published (Metadata Record) 02/03/2026
Last updated 03/03/2026
Organisation Australian Federal Government
License License Not Specified
Update Frequency Unknown