Lower Cretaceous Palynological Data from the Surat Basin, Australia

72 species of spores, 21 species of pollen grains, and 60 species of dinoflagellates are documented in this palynological study of Aptian and Albian sediments. The Australian Ocean Data Network provides stratigraphic sequences and taxonomic descriptions for marine and terrestrial microfossils from southeastern Queensland and northeastern New South Wales. Statistical analysis of abundance fractions is used for tentative environmental reconstruction.

Use Cases

• Biostratigraphic zonation based on described spore, pollen, and dinoflagellate sequences.
• Taxonomic classification of fossil dinoflagellate cysts based on paratabulation, archaeopyle formation, and ornamental structure.
• Palaeoenvironmental reconstruction based on proportional abundance analysis of microfossil groups.
• Studying the early appearance of angiosperm pollen grains in the Albian sequence.

Strengths

• Systematic documentation includes 38 genera and 72 species of spores, 18 genera and 21 species of pollen grains, and 35 genera and 60 species of dinoflagellates.
• The study proposes 13 new species and one new variety of microfossils.
• Stratigraphic coverage is subdivided into specific zones for spores/pollen and dinoflagellates.

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Palynological analysis of sediment samples.

Time Range

Aptian to middle Albian age (Lower Cretaceous).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-05 00:53:39.089591; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Surat Basin, southeastern Queensland and northeastern New South Wales, Australia.