Eocene Calcareous Nannofossil Biostratigraphy from Four Otway Basin Sections

Four sections in the Otway Basin of southeastern Australia provide a biostratigraphic event sequence from the middle to late Eocene. The study correlates nannofossil and foraminiferal events, reassigning the local highest appearance of Acarinina primitiva to zone P.13. Analysis indicates diachronous marine sedimentation and changing depositional environments during the Eocene.

Use Cases

• Refine foraminiferal zone correlations based on nannofossil event comparisons.
• Analyze sedimentation rates based on thickness variations between biostratigraphic markers.
• Study paleoenvironmental conditions like water temperature gradients and shoaling events described in the Otway Basin.
• Investigate diachroneity of marine transgressions during the middle Eocene.

Strengths

• Event sequence spans from Cyclicargolithus reticulatus to Discoaster saipanensis, covering a significant Eocene interval.
• Data from four distinct sections allows for spatial comparison within the Otway Basin.
• Correlates biostratigraphy with planktic foraminiferal P. zones and a counterpart in New Zealand.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network via data_gov_au

Collection Method

Study of middle to late Eocene calcareous nannofossil assemblages.

Time Range

Middle to late Eocene

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-27 17:47:11.805185; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Otway Basin, southeastern Australia, including the Gambier Embayment and Browns Creek area.