Cretaceous Stratigraphy and Paleontology of the Giralia Anticline, Western Australia

A detailed geological study describes the oldest Cretaceous sequence in the Giralia Anticline, Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia. The report includes biostratigraphic assessments of outcrop and well data, focusing on the late Hauterivian-Barremian Birdrong Sandstone and Muderong Shale formations. It was published by the Australian Ocean Data Network and last updated in April 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling transgressive and highstand systems tracts based on described sediment composition and biofacies changes.
• Analyzing paleoclimate signals based on growth-ring analysis of fossil conifer wood.
• Correlating regional sea-level rise events using the described late Hauterivian-Barremian transgressive pulse.
• Studying marine reptile and invertebrate fossil assemblages based on mentions of ichthyosauran bones, plesiosauran remains, and ammonites.

Strengths

• Provides detailed lithological measurements, including a 10 m thick basal sand unit and 56 m of overlying siltstone-mudstone.
• Includes biostratigraphic zonation (Muderongia australis Zone) and analysis of fossil assemblages like conifer wood and marine reptiles.
• Interprets depositional environments and water depths, specifying maximum depths of less than 50 m for parts of the sequence.

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 sandstone unit is noted as uncertain in the description.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Outcrop description and biostratigraphic assessment of the Giralia Anticline and the Giralia No. 1 well.

Time Range

late Hauterivian-Barremian (Early Cretaceous)

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-10 19:35:37.528744; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Giralia Anticline, Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia