Nannofossil Record of the Great Australian Bight Basin

A study of calcareous nannofossils from dredged samples in the central Great Australian Bight Basin, comparing offshore and onshore sequences. The research, published by the Australian Ocean Data Network, examines assemblages from the Maastrichtian, Eocene, and Oligocene periods. It provides evidence for marine ingressions, sea level changes, and paleoclimatic conditions along Australia's southern margin.

Use Cases

• Correlating Maastrichtian, Eocene, and Oligocene nannofossil assemblages between offshore and onshore sequences for biostratigraphic dating.
• Analyzing the presence of low-latitude species like Sphenolithus ciperoensis to infer short-term Oligocene warming episodes.
• Using nannofossil evidence, supported by palynological and lithological data, to model post-Late Cretaceous seafloor subsidence rates in the basin.
• Comparing early, middle, and late Eocene ingression and transgression phases between the Great Australian Bight and Otway Basin sequences.
• Reconstructing paleo-surface water temperature gradients and the influence of a proto-Leeuwin Current based on nannofossil assemblage distributions.

Strengths

• Provides the first recorded Maastrichtian nannofossil assemblages from southern Australia.
• Compares offshore (Great Australian Bight) and onshore (Otway Basin) sequences across three geological periods.

Limitations

• Sample data and specific row/column counts are unavailable, limiting quantitative analysis.
• The primary data formats are PDF and HTML, requiring manual extraction for computational use.
• Geographic coverage is specific to the Great Australian Bight Basin and onshore southern Australia, not a global record.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, based on samples from BMR Survey 66.

Collection Method

Samples were dredged during a marine survey and examined for calcareous nannofossils.

Time Range

Maastrichtian, Eocene, and Oligocene periods (Late Cretaceous to early Tertiary).

Freshness

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Geography

Central Great Australian Bight Basin and onshore southern Australian sequences (including the Otway Basin).