Late Miocene-Early Pliocene Dinoflagellate Palynostratigraphy in the Murray Basin

Palynostratigraphy data distinguishes Late Miocene-Early Pliocene Bookpurnong Beds from similar Oligocene-Middle Miocene sediments using diagnostic dinoflagellate species. Species such as Melitasphaeridium aequabile and Tectatodinium psilatum are largely restricted to the Bookpurnong Beds, while Apteodinium australiense indicates older Murray Group correlatives. The dataset is a published external journal article from Geoscience Australia.

Use Cases

• Correlate Late Miocene-Early Pliocene facies using the presence of diagnostic species like Tuberculodinium vancampoae.
• Distinguish Bookpurnong Beds from older Winnambool Formation sediments by analyzing species assemblages, including Pentadinium laticinctum.
• Refine stratigraphic models for the central west Murray Basin based on the distribution of Melitasphaeridium choanophorum.

Strengths

• Identifies specific diagnostic dinoflagellate species for precise stratigraphic differentiation.
• Focuses on a defined geological period (Late Miocene-Early Pliocene) and region (central west Murray Basin).
• Published as an external journal article by the authoritative Geoscience Australia organization.

Limitations

• Data is presented in document formats (HTML, PDF), not a structured, machine-readable table.
• Sample data and quantitative metrics like row or column counts are unavailable.
• Scope is limited to palynostratigraphy (dinoflagellates) and does not include other fossil groups or geochemical data.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Palynostratigraphic analysis published in a journal article.

Time Range

Late Miocene-Early Pliocene

Freshness

Metadata indicates a last update in March 2026, suggesting maintained metadata.

Geography

Central west Murray Basin, covering parts of South Australia (SA), Victoria (Vic), and New South Wales (NSW).