Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous Marine Fossils from Dampier Peninsula

Fossil specimens from the Kimmeridgian, Tithonian, Neocomian, and Aptian stages are documented in this collection. The data was compiled by researchers citing publications from the 1940s to 1958, primarily from the Bureau of Mineral Resources and West Australian Petroleum Pty Ltd. Work for this paper was largely completed before mid-1954, with the main record published in a bulletin substantiating earlier fossil findings.

Use Cases

• Classifying fossil specimens using the 'open nomenclature' system described for new forms where type material was lost. Analyzing the stratigraphical distribution of fossils across the Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous formations mentioned. Correlating fossil assemblages from the Dampier Peninsula with other global Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary sites using the listed taxa. Studying the impact of specimen loss, as documented from the 1953 fire, on taxonomic description practices in palaeontology.

Strengths

• Documents fossils from a specific temporal range covering four geological stages (Kimmeridgian, Tithonian, Neocomian, Aptian). References multiple authoritative publications and field work by organizations like WAPET and the Bureau of Mineral Resources.

Limitations

• An unknown number of original fossil specimens were destroyed in a 1953 fire, impacting the availability of type material. The primary data format is descriptive text within PDF/HTML publications, not a structured, machine-readable table. The core research and data compilation were finalized before mid-1954, representing a historical snapshot.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, aggregating published bulletins and papers.

Collection Method

Compiled from geological field work and publications by cited authors and organizations like West Australian Petroleum Pty Ltd.

Time Range

Fossils from the Upper Jurassic (Kimmeridgian, Tithonian) and Lower Cretaceous (Neocomian, Aptian).

Freshness

The metadata record was last updated in 2026, but the underlying fossil descriptions are from mid-20th century publications.

Geography

Dampier Peninsula, between Derby and Broome in Western Australia.