Geology of the Fairfield Group in Western Australia's Canning Basin

450,000 km2 of the Canning Basin contains Ordovician to Cainozoic sedimentary rocks, including Devonian reef carbonates. A 1972 joint Bureau of Mineral Resources and Western Australian Geological Survey field party collected 500 petrographic, palaeontological, and geochemical samples from 30 measured sections. Detailed fieldwork covered a 160 km belt along the Napier and Oscar Ranges near Fitzroy Crossing.

Use Cases

• Stratigraphic correlation based on described sequences of limestone, shale, and sandstone.
• Palaeoenvironmental reconstruction based on samples of conodonts and reef carbonates.
• Geochemical analysis of sedimentary rocks based on collected geochemical samples.
• Mapping geological structures based on fieldwork conducted on air photographs at a 1:80,000 scale.

Strengths

• Fieldwork involved measuring 30 comprehensive sections and collecting approximately 500 samples.
• The study area covers a significant portion of the Canning Basin, which spans 450,000 km2.
• Research was conducted by a joint team from the Bureau of Mineral Resources and Western Australian Geological Survey.

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Field mapping on air photographs, section measurement, and sample collection for petrological, palaeontological, and geochemical studies.

Time Range

Covers Ordovician to Cainozoic periods, with fieldwork conducted May-August 1972.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-04 06:49:11.815831; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Canning Basin, Western Australia, specifically areas near Fitzroy Crossing, Napier and Oscar Ranges, Horseshoe and Burramundi Ranges, and Red Bluffs.