Late Triassic Fossils of the Kuta Formation, Papua New Guinea

Geoscience Australia Data provides a paleontological dataset on the Kuta Formation, a limestone deposit in Papua New Guinea's Central Highlands. The dataset includes identified fossils such as conodonts, ammonites, bivalves, and brachiopods, which were used to definitively date the formation as late Norian or Rhaetian (Late Triassic). This dating clarifies the regional stratigraphy, indicating marine Triassic sedimentation in the area lasted from at least the Middle Triassic (Anisian) to the end of the period.

Use Cases

• Refining Late Triassic stratigraphic timelines based on conodont and ammonite biostratigraphy mentioned in the description.
• Studying Tethyan provincial fossil assemblages, including the ammonite Arcestes cf. sundaicus and other molluscs.
• Analyzing the biogeographic distribution of brachiopod genera like Clavigera, previously known only from New Zealand and New Caledonia.
• Correlating regional marine sedimentation histories in Papua New Guinea from the Middle to Late Triassic.

Strengths

• Provides a definitive late Norian or Rhaetian (Late Triassic) age for the Kuta Formation, resolving previous conflicting age interpretations.
• Includes identified key fossil specimens for dating, such as the conodont Misikella posthernsteini and the ammonite Arcestes cf. sundaicus.
• Clarifies the regional stratigraphic sequence, indicating marine Triassic sedimentation in Papua New Guinea was likely continuous from Anisian to Rhaetian time.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is delivered as HTML and PDF files, which may require extraction for computational analysis.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Paleontological field collection and taxonomic identification.

Time Range

Late Triassic (late Norian to Rhaetian)

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03 25 16:31:01.752621; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Kubor Anticline, Central Highlands, Papua New Guinea