Planktic Foraminifera Biostratigraphy of the Coral Sea, Pleistocene-Holocene

The Coral Sea, offshore Queensland, Australia, is the location for this dataset examining planktic foraminiferal biostratigraphic events from the latest Pliocene to the Holocene. It is based on core samples from the Australian Ocean Data Network, with analysis of 15 out of 27 potential events and the proposal of new subzones. The data shows stable assemblages dominated by tropical and subtropical species.

Use Cases

• Establishing regional biostratigraphic zonation schemes based on the described planktic foraminiferal events.
• Studying faunal stability and dominance of spinose, oligotrophic taxa in Pleistocene-Holocene marine cores.
• Identifying potential reworking events in sediment cores, possibly related to sea-level fluctuations.
• Analyzing the evolutionary relationships between foraminifera species like Bolliella praeadamsi and its ancestors.

Strengths

• Examines 15 specific planktic foraminiferal biostratigraphic events.
• Proposes two new formal subzones (Globigerinoides quadrilobatus fistulosus and Bolliella praeadamsi).
• Describes a new species, Bolliella praeadamsi, identified for its biostratigraphic utility.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Analysis of sediment cores from the Coral Sea.

Time Range

Latest Pliocene to Holocene, with a noted hiatus affecting early Pleistocene study.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-10 18:22:02.402988; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Coral Sea, offshore Queensland, Australia.