Late Triassic Fossils from the Kuta Formation, Papua New Guinea

The Kuta Formation is the youngest known Triassic formation in Papua New Guinea. This dataset from Geoscience Australia documents the late Norian or Rhaetian age fossils, including conodonts, molluscs, and brachiopods, used to date the limestone deposit. The identified fossils, such as Misikella posthernsteini and Arcestes cf. sundaicus, have a primarily Tethyan Provincial aspect.

Use Cases

• Dating Late Triassic marine sediments based on described conodont and ammonite fossils.
• Studying Tethyan biogeographic connections based on the fossil assemblage's provincial aspect.
• Analyzing the composition of a Rhaetian marine fauna based on the listed mollusc and brachiopod species.

Strengths

• Provides a positive late Norian or Rhaetian age dating for the Kuta Formation, clarifying regional stratigraphy.
• Documents specific fossil species, including Misikella posthernsteini and Arcestes cf. sundaicus, with taxonomic references.

Limitations

• Data is presented in PDF/HTML reports; structured, machine-readable data is unavailable.
• Row count and column-level documentation are unknown, limiting suitability assessment.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Fossil identification and description from limestone outcrops.

Time Range

Late Triassic (late Norian or Rhaetian age)

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-30 13:35:00.850372; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Kubor Anticline, Central Highlands, Papua New Guinea