Middle Ordovician Geochemical and Palynological Data for Early Land Plant Evidence

Biomarker and palynological data from the Middle Ordovician upper Goldwyer Formation in Australia, which records the earliest occurrence of land plant microfossils (cryptospores) in the region. The dataset includes higher-molecular-weight n-alkane distributions and their isotopic compositions, as well as the presence of the biomarker retene. It was published by the Australian Ocean Data Network and last updated on 2026-06-05.

Use Cases

• Identify terrestrial organic matter contributions based on long-chain n-alkane distributions.
• Distinguish between biological sources using the isotopic composition of molecular proxies.
• Correlate sparse microfossil records with geochemical signatures to map early land plant distribution.
• Investigate the presence of early non-vascular plants (bryophytes) using combined biomarker and palynological evidence.

Strengths

• Data combines two distinct proxy types—biomarkers and palynology—for a multi-faceted analysis.
• Focuses on a significant geological period (Middle Ordovician) for understanding early terrestrial life.
• Provides evidence from the upper Goldwyer Formation, a specific Australian geological unit.

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 a single Australian formation.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Geochemical and palynological analysis of sedimentary rock samples.

Time Range

Middle Ordovician period

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-05 07:23:09.802867; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Australia (upper Goldwyer Formation)