Multivariate cluster analysis identified benthic marine fossil communities from the Visean-Delepinea aspinosa Zone in New South Wales. The study delineates four communities in the Inflatia elegans Subzone and describes community persistence and change into the subsequent Linoprotonia tenuirugosa Subzone. Data originates from Geoscience Australia and was last updated in May 2026.
Use Cases
- Analyzing species associations and community structure based on recurrent fossil co-occurrences.
- Studying paleoenvironmental gradients and depth zonation on a Carboniferous marine shelf.
- Tracking faunal turnover and community persistence across successive biostratigraphic subzones.
Strengths
- Analysis is based on samples collected from all known fossiliferous intervals in the study area.
- Identifies four distinct benthic communities within the Inflatia elegans Subzone.
- Explicitly documents community intergradation rather than rigid depth-limited assemblages.
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
- Data files are in PDF and HTML formats, which may complicate direct computational analysis.
Provenance
- Source
- Geoscience Australia Data
- Collection Method
- Multivariate (cluster) analysis of fossil samples using Euclidean distance coefficient and a weighted-pair grouping method.
- Time Range
- Early Carboniferous (Visean-Delepinea aspinosa Zone)
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-05-14 05:07:46.232949; freshness should be verified.
- Geography
- New South Wales, Australia