Upper Triassic Coral and Spongiomorph Fossils from the Northwestern Australian Shelf

Fossil data for Upper Triassic corals and spongiomorphs dredged from the Rowley Terrace, offshore Canning Basin of northwestern Australia. The dataset was published by Geoscience Australia and last updated in April 2026. It indicates possible new occurrences of reef facies and compares them to sites in central Europe and the Wombat Plateau.

Use Cases

• Map the distribution of Late Triassic reef facies based on fossil occurrence data.
• Conduct taxonomic comparisons of fossil assemblages between the Rowley Terrace and the Wombat Plateau.
• Analyze paleogeographic connections between Australian and European Triassic marine ecosystems mentioned in the description.
• Study the eastward extension of reef development along the rifted margin of Gondwana.

Strengths

• Data is associated with a specific research cruise (BMR Cruise 95) and geographic location (Rowley Terrace, Canning Basin).
• Fossils provide a specific age indication (Late Triassic, Norian-Rhaetian).
• Includes taxonomic identification of key genera (Spongiomorpha sp., Pamiroseris rectilamellosa, Retiophyllia tellae).

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data freshness should be verified despite the 2026 update date.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Dredged during BMR Cruise 95.

Time Range

Late Triassic (Norian-Rhaetian)

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-20 01:53:10.459698

Geography

Rowley Terrace, offshore Canning Basin, northwestern Australia