Upper Triassic Coral and Spongiomorph Fossils from the Northwestern Australian Shelf

Geoscience Australia Data provides a report on Upper Triassic corals and spongiomorphs dredged from the Rowley Terrace, offshore Canning Basin. The fossils, including Spongiomorpha sp., Pamiroseris rectilamellosa, and Retiophyllia tellae, indicate a Late Triassic (Norian-Rhaetian) age and possible reef facies. The data was last updated on 2026-03-25.

Use Cases

• Comparative analysis of Triassic reef fauna based on taxonomic composition mentioned in the description
• Paleogeographic reconstruction based on the spatial relationship to the Wombat Plateau reef site
• Age dating and stratigraphic correlation based on the reported Norian-Rhaetian fossil indicators

Strengths

• Report includes specific fossil genera and species (Spongiomorpha sp., Pamiroseris rectilamellosa, Retiophyllia tellae).
• Provides a comparative context to a known reef site (Wombat Plateau) 350 km away.
• Data is associated with a specific research cruise (BMR Cruise 95).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the specific dredge location.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Dredged during BMR Cruise 95 from the Rowley Terrace.

Time Range

Late Triassic (Norian-Rhaetian)

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-25 18:30:39.439279; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Rowley Terrace, offshore Canning Basin, northwestern Australia