Australian Lower Cretaceous Marine Mollusca Collection

A collection of marine Lower Cretaceous Mollusca fossils from the Mount Samuel area in central Western Australia documents six genera and seven species. The data suggests the existence of Aptian-age seaways connecting the Great Artesian Basin to the Mount Samuel area and the Dampier Peninsula. This record is published by the Australian Ocean Data Network and was last updated in April 2026.

Use Cases

• Correlating fossil assemblages between the Roma Formation in Queensland and Aptian sediments near Rumbalara using the documented genera and species.
• Reconstructing Aptian-age migration routes for marine organisms between the Great Artesian Basin and Western Australia based on suggested southern or western pathways.
• Analyzing the suggested seaway connections between the Mount Samuel area, the Great Artesian Basin, and the Dampier Peninsula for palaeogeographic models.
• Studying the distribution of specific molluscan genera and species across the Great Artesian Basin and Mount Samuel area to infer past environmental conditions.

Strengths

• Identifies six genera and seven species of marine Mollusca.
• Provides specific geographic correlations between formations in Queensland, the Northern Territory, and Western Australia.
• Offers hypotheses on seaway connections and migration routes during the Aptian age.

Limitations

• The collection is described as 'small', indicating a limited sample size.
• Primary data formats are HTML and PDF, which are not structured for computational analysis.
• No raw fossil measurement data or columnar data is provided.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network.

Collection Method

Collection and analysis of fossil specimens from the Mount Samuel area.

Time Range

Lower Cretaceous (Aptian to Upper Albian age).

Freshness

Last updated in April 2026.

Geography

Mount Samuel area (central Western Australia), Great Artesian Basin (Queensland, Northern Territory), Officer Basin, Eucla Basin, Dampier Peninsula.