Lower Carboniferous Spore Assemblages from Bonaparte Gulf Basin Boreholes

Well-preserved assemblages of plant microfossils recovered from Lower Carboniferous sediments in four boreholes in the Bonaparte Gulf Basin of Western Australia and Northern Territory. The data includes 55 species of plant microfossils distributed among 32 genera of trilete sporae dispersae, including one new genus. The palynological flora is dominated by the species Granulatisporites frustulentus, which accounts for 44-83 percent of the spore populations.

Use Cases

• Biostratigraphic correlation and age dating based on identified spore species and assemblages.
• Paleoenvironmental reconstruction based on the marine and terrestrial microfossil record.
• Taxonomic study of Carboniferous spores, including analysis of the new genus Exallospora.
• Comparative analysis of pan-Australian and northern hemisphere Lower Carboniferous spore floras.

Strengths

• Well-preserved microfossil assemblages from four distinct boreholes.
• Includes 55 identified species across 32 genera, with one new genus described.
• Dominant species Granulatisporites frustulentus quantified at 44-83% of populations.
• Supports Visean age determination with correlation to northern hemisphere forms.

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/temporal bias inherent to the specific borehole locations.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Palynological analysis of sediment samples from four boreholes.

Time Range

Lower Carboniferous, Visean age.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-30 13:41:00.892882; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Bonaparte Gulf Basin, Western Australia and Northern Territory.