Lower Carboniferous Fossil Spores from the Bonaparte Gulf Basin, Australia

55 species of plant microfossils, distributed among 32 genera, were recovered from Lower Carboniferous sediments in four boreholes in the Bonaparte Gulf Basin. The palynological flora is dominated by the species Granulatisporites frustulentus, which accounts for 44-83 percent of the spore populations. The data was published by the Australian Ocean Data Network and last updated on 2026-06-27.

Use Cases

• Biostratigraphic dating of marine sediments based on identified spore species.
• Paleoenvironmental reconstruction based on the composition of fossil spore assemblages.
• Taxonomic study of trilete sporae dispersae, including the new genus Exallospora.
• Correlation of Visean-age strata between northern and southern hemisphere regions based on spore forms.

Strengths

• Well-preserved assemblages of plant microfossils are described.
• Includes 55 recognized species distributed among 32 genera.
• The dominant species, Granulatisporites frustulentus, is quantified as 44-83% of populations.
• Samples are tied to specific lithostratigraphic units and borehole locations.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data freshness should be verified despite the 2026 update date.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network via data_gov_au

Collection Method

Recovered from Lower Carboniferous sediments in four boreholes.

Time Range

Lower Carboniferous, Visean age

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-27 16:02:39.479553

Geography

Bonaparte Gulf Basin, Western Australia and Northern Territory, Australia