Cretaceous Sequence in Giralia Anticline: Late Hauterivian-Barremian Stratigraphy

Western Australia's Giralia Anticline and Giralia No. 1 well contain the oldest Cretaceous sequence in the Carnarvon Basin. The dataset describes a 66-meter thick section comprising the Birdrong Sandstone and Muderong Shale, biostratigraphically assessed as late Hauterivian-Barremian age. It was published by the Australian Ocean Data Network and last updated on 2026-06-27.

Use Cases

• Reconstructing paleoenvironmental conditions based on described sediment composition, palynomorph, and foraminiferal biofacies.
• Analyzing transgressive systems tracts based on the described sequence stratigraphy of the Birdrong Sandstone and Muderong Shale.
• Studying paleoclimate using growth-ring analysis of fossil conifer wood mentioned in the description.
• Correlating regional sea-level rise events based on the described late Hauterivian-Barremian transgressive pulse.

Strengths

• Describes a specific 66-meter thick geological sequence with detailed unit thicknesses (10 m sand, 56 m siltstone-mudstone).
• Includes biostratigraphic assessment using the Muderongia australis Zone for age dating.
• Contains analysis of multiple fossil types (conifer wood, ichthyosaur bones, ammonites) and paleoenvironmental indicators.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The age of the upper Muderong Shale and a probable Windalia Sand Member is noted as uncertain.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Outcrop and well core description with biostratigraphic assessment.

Time Range

Late Hauterivian to Barremian (Early Cretaceous)

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-27 16:48:53.430208; freshness should be verified

Geography

Giralia Anticline, Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia