Mesozoic Bivalvia Fossils from Northwest Australian Canyons

Four sets of rock samples from the Clerke and Mermaid Canyons off the northwest Australian shelf contain macrofaunas, primarily bivalves, of warm shallow-water origin. The data, provided by the Australian Ocean Data Network, includes a new species Pseudopecten dugong indicating an Early Jurassic age and Tethyan relationship. Samples were collected from depths between 3625 and 4480 meters.

Use Cases

• Classifying bivalve species and assemblages based on described fossil samples.
• Dating geological strata and correlating events using the Norian-Rhaetian and Early Jurassic age indicators mentioned.
• Analyzing paleobiogeographic relationships between Australian, Tethyan, and southeast Asian faunas.
• Studying the depositional environment of oolitic calcarenites and coral assemblages from the described canyon sites.

Strengths

• Samples are precisely located at two specific canyon sites with coordinates (16° 19'S, 118° 23'E and 16° 29'S, 118° 30'E).
• Contains age-diagnostic fossils, including a new species Pseudopecten (Pseudopecten) dugong and Palaeocurdita aff. globiformis.
• Provides paleoenvironmental context indicating warm shallow-water origins for fauna found in deep-water settings.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data may reflect geographic and temporal bias inherent to the specific sampling locations and periods.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Rock samples collected from the northwest Australian continental slope.

Time Range

Mesozoic era, specifically Norian-Rhaetian to Early Jurassic periods.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-05 00:04:45.328888; freshness should be verified

Geography

Clerke Canyon and Mermaid Canyon, northwest Australian continental slope.