Early Carboniferous Marine Benthic Communities from New South Wales (Visean)

Visean-age fossil samples from the Delepinea aspinosa Zone in New South Wales were analyzed using multivariate cluster analysis to identify recurrent species associations. The dataset likely contains results from the Inflatia elegans and Linoprotonia tenuirugosa Subzones, showing several intergrading communities. It was aggregated by the Australian Ocean Data Network and last updated on 2026-06 27.

Use Cases

• Cluster analysis of fossil communities based on recurrent species associations mentioned in the description.
• Studying paleoecological gradients and community intergradation on a marine shelf.
• Comparing species composition and persistence across successive faunal subzones.
• Modeling substrate and depth preferences of brachiopod communities like Unispirifer striatoconvolutus.

Strengths

• Analysis is based on samples from all known fossiliferous intervals in the study area.
• Multivariate cluster analysis using Euclidean distance and a weighted-pair grouping method is described.
• Identifies four distinct communities within the Inflatia elegans Subzone.

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 HTML and PDF formats, which may require extraction for computational analysis.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network via data_gov_au.

Collection Method

Multivariate (cluster) analysis of fossil samples from known intervals.

Time Range

Early Carboniferous (Visean), specifically the Delepinea aspinosa Zone.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-27 17:17:33.174738; freshness should be verified.

Geography

New South Wales, Australia.