Palynology of Cenomanian Marine Sediments from Bathurst Island, Australia

Mid- to late Cenomanian to possibly early Turonian microfossil data from two continuously cored wells on Bathurst Island, Australia. The dataset, presented in a bulletin by the Australian Ocean Data Network, includes taxonomic descriptions of 104 dinoflagellate cyst and 16 acritarch species, as well as 40 spore and 23 pollen species. Samples were taken from 20 cores drilled to a depth of slightly over 300 meters in shallow marine sediments.

Use Cases

• Classifying Cenomanian to Turonian age sediments based on described spore-pollen and dinoflagellate cyst sequences.
• Studying temperate vegetation and marine paleoenvironments based on the spore, pollen, and microplankton assemblages.
• Conducting taxonomic research on dinoflagellate cysts and acritarchs based on the 61 genera and 8 new species described.
• Correlating regional stratigraphy in northern Australia using the defined palynological units K3a and K3b.

Strengths

• Includes taxonomic descriptions for 104 dinoflagellate cyst and 16 acritarch species, varieties, and groups.
• Documents 40 spore and 23 pollen species, with 2 new genera and 7 new species proposed.
• Data is derived from 20 continuously cored samples from two wells, providing a stratigraphic sequence.

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 specific study location and core samples.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Palynological study of core samples from two continuously cored wells (Bathurst Island Nos. 1 and 2).

Time Range

Mid- to late Cenomanian to possibly early Turonian (Cretaceous period).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-04 06:51:53.720046; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Bathurst Island, south coast, Northern Territory, Australia.