Coral Faunas from Silurian New South Wales and Devonian Western Australia

Australian Ocean Data Network hosts a paleontological dataset describing coral faunas from the Silurian of New South Wales and the Devonian of Western Australia. The dataset details species descriptions and stratigraphic correlations across the West Kimberleys, East Kimberleys, and Carnarvon Basin. It was last updated on 2026-05-05.

Use Cases

• Correlating geological formations based on described coral species assemblages.
• Studying provincial differences in coral fauna between eastern and western Australia.
• Identifying stratigraphic age indicators based on dominant genera like Disphyllum and Hexagonaria.
• Analyzing faunal changes across geological boundaries, such as between the Givetian and Frasnian periods.

Strengths

• Describes 30 coral species from the West Kimberley region.
• Provides stratigraphic context linking species to specific formations like the Pilbara Limestone and Mount Pierre Group.
• Includes descriptions of new genus Catactotoechus and new species.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to data_gov_au, focusing on specific Australian basins.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Time Range

Silurian (likely Wenlockian or Ludlovian) and Devonian (Givetian, Frasnian, Famennian) periods.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-05 05:04:39.666880; freshness should be verified.

Geography

New South Wales (Kiandra) and Western Australia (Kimberleys, Carnarvon Basin).