AGSO RECORD 1995137

TIMESCALES

8. JURASSIC

AUSTRALIAN PHANEROZOIC TIMESCALESBIOSTRATIGRAPHIC CHARTS AND EXPLANATORY NOTES

SECOND SERIES

byD. BURGER

Timescales Calibration and Development ProjectNational Geoscience Infrastructure and Research Program

Australian Geological Survey OrganisationGPO Box 378, Canberra, ACT, 2601

Australia

: 111111 1113701*1

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DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES AND ENERGY

Minister for Resources: Hon. David Beddall, MPSecretary: Greg Taylor

AUSTRALIAN GEOLOGICAL SURVEY ORGANISATION^ •Executive Director: Neil Williams^ •

••© Commonwealth of Australia 1995

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ISSN: 1039-0073ISBN: 0 642 22348 3 •

This work is copyright. Apart from any fair dealings for the purposes of study,research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part maybe reproduced by any process without written permission. Copyright is theresponsibility of the Executive Director, Australian Geological Survey Organisation.Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be directed to thePrincipal Information Officer, Australian Geological Survey Organisation, GPOBox 378, Canberra City, ACT, 2601.

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a• FOREWORD•

This second series of Timescales Calibration and Development Correlation Charts and• Explanatory Notes revises that originally entitled Australian Phanerozoic Timescales which

• was published as Bureau of Mineral Resources Records 1989/31-40. That series wasprepared to provide a firm chronological base for the AMERA (Australian Mineral Industry• Research Association) sponsored Palaeo geographic Atlas of Australia and APIRA

(Australian Petroleum Industry Research Association) funded Phanerozoic History of• Australia.

The Correlation Charts and Explanatory Notes for each system have formed the basis for the• development of a composite Australian Geological Survey Organisation (AGSO) Phanerozoic

Timescale Chart and a condensed single volume summary. The summary chart and single• volume together provide ready access to the ages of most Phanerozoic chronostratigraphic

• subdivisions in Australia. The Correlation Charts and Explanatory Notes also provide thespecialist biostratigrapher with the data to understand the basis for the ages estimated. It is• anticipated that both charts and notes will be updated at regular intervals, as and when

significant bodies of new information become available.

The revised charts have been compiled mostly by palaeontologists of the TimescalesCalibration and Development Project from data published in the specialist literature, as well

• as unpublished information from on-going biostratigraphical research. As previously, thecharts integrate zonal schemes using different groups of key fossils with isotopic and

• magnetostratigraphic data, and where possible related to sea level curves. Recentgeochronological numbers generated by SHRIMP (Sensitive High-Mass Resolution IonMicroprobe) technology have been responsible for significant revision of the timescale

• applied to some systems, notably the Cambrian, Ordovician, Carboniferous and Permian.Similarly, the definition of the base of the Cambrian by the International Union of Geological

• Sciences, Commission on Stratigraphy, at a level approximately 545 my old has led to ashortening of the Phanerozoic timescale by some 25 my. Such changes are represented in the

• new cover design for the Timescales Calibration and Development charts that depicts the

• geochronological time scale currently used in AGSO.

a• T. S. Loutit,

• Co-Chief,Marine, Petroleum and Sedimentary Resources Division.•••a

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CONTENTSa

ABSTRACT^ page 5 aINTRODUCTION^ page 7THE STANDARD JURASSIC TIME SCALE^page 7^ •

THE AMMONITE RECORD^ page 7Triassic-Jurassic boundary^ page 8^ aLate Jurassic^ page 8Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary^page 10^ •Ammonite records outside Europe^page 10

ABSOLUTE TIME^ page 10^ •GEOMAGNETIC REVERSALS^page 11^ •INTEGRATION OF DATA^ page 11

Correlation A-B^ page 11^ 0Correlation B-C^ page 11Correlation A-C^ page 12^ •

THE RECORD OF MICROFOSSILS^page 12FAUNAS^ page 12^ 0FLORAS^ page 12^ *Calcareous narmofossils^ page 12

Palynomorphs^ page 13^ 0EUSTASY^ page 13THE JURASSIC OF AUSTRALIA^page 14^ 0

INTRODUCTION^ page 14•THE RECORD OF DEPOSITION^page 15

THE FOSSIL RECORD^ page 16^ 0Faunas^ page 16Floras^ page 17^ •Ages of palynologicg zones^ page 18

RADIOMETRIC AGES^ page 21^ •EUSTASY^ page 21

•ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS^ page 22REFERENCES^ page 22^ a

0Figure I: Isotopic ages of Jurassic Stage boundaries and their magnetostratigraphic correlations (for

details see text)•

Figure 2: Correlation of latest Jurassic ammonite zones in England, Russia, and SiberiaFigure 3: Australian sedimentary basins containing Jurassic strata

Figure 4: Prominent Jurassic lithostratigraphic sequences in Australia

Figure 5: Global sea level movements, lithostratigraphic cycles in northeastern Australian basins,

Table IB: Standard chronostratigraphy and biostratigraphy for the Middle and Late Jurassic(Bathonian-Tithonian), and associated faunal and floral biostratigraphies applied in Australia andother continents

•and their association with Jurassic palynological zones (for details see text).Table IA: Standard chronostratigraphy and biostratigraphy for the Early and Middle Jurassic

(Hettangian-Bajocian), and associated faunal and floral biostratigraphies applied in Australia andother continents

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ABSTRACT

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•Sedimentary sequences of Jurassic age have been described from all

• major continents, including Australia. To establish a globally applicable• time framework for those sequences the most important fields of study so far

have been palaeontology and radiometry. Magnetostratigraphy has• developed a suite of globally applicable geomagnetic reversals for the late

•Middle and Late Jurassic. The evidence of each of those disciplines in theTethyan Realm is summarised and integrated, to present a geochronological

• base with which the Australian Jurassic may be correlated.

• During the Jurassic the Gondwana supercontinent was still largely intact,• although initial rifting occurred with Antarctica in the south and sea floorspreading began in the north and northwest, detaching fragments from the• northern Gondwana rim. The northwestern rim of the Australian Plate

• slowly shifted to the south, from 35° to 50° palaeolatitude.

• The Australian Jurassic fossil record encompasses vertebrates (fishes,amphibians, reptiles), invertebrates (several macro- and microfaunal groups),

• and floras (land plants, spores, pollen, marine microphytoplankton,• calcareous nannofossils). Marine records are few, and they are restrictedchiefly to Western Australia. The record shows certain affinities with other• Gondwana continents, and the scope for correlation with the standard

• Jurassic of Tethyan Europe is limited.

• Isotopic ages measured from some Upper Triassic and Lower Jurassicvolcanic and crystalline rocks in eastern Australia agree with the ages given

• to spore-pollen sequences associated with those rocks. Magneto stratigraphic• logging has been done in certain ODP wells offshore Western Australia, and

the feasibility of this work in eastern Australia is being investigated. Eustatic• influences observed in several sedimentary basins, especially in northeastern

• Australia, have contributed to age determination of nonmarine sediments.

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JurassicStage

upper Stage limitMa^chron

magnetostratigraphkevidence

TITHON1AN141 (base grandis)^M18 BossoI, Foza1

142 (base Jacobi)^M19N Carrabuey2, Fozal' 2' 3, Xausal° 2". 3KIM/vIERIDGIAN 146 (top autissiodorensis) M22N Xausa3' 4

OXFORDIAN 151 (top rosenkrantzi)^M25 Umbrias

CALLOVIAN 159 (top Lambeth)^JQZ Xausa4

BATHONIAN 165 (top discus)^(B.S.) Blake-Bahama Basin6

BAJOCIAN 173 (top parkinsoni)

AALENIAN 180 (top concavum)

TOARCIAN 184 (top levesquei)

PLIENSBACHIAN 190 (top spinatum)

S1NEMURIAN 195 (top raricostatum)

HETTANGIAN 202 (top angulata)

(TRIASSIC/Rhaetian) 205 (top praeplanorbis)

1. Ogg & Lowrie (1986)^4. Channell & others (1982)2. Ogg & others (1984)^5. Lowrie & Ogg (1986)3. Channell & others (1987)^6. Steiner & others (1985)

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Figure 1: Isotopic ages of Jurassic Stage boundaries and their magnetostratigraphic correlations (fordetails see text) •

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INTRODUCTION

This paper is an update of Burger (1990a),and expands on the Jurassic chapter in Young& Laurie (in press). It summarises the mostrecent time frameworks in biostratigraphyand chronostratigraphy, which are taken asthe standard for the Tethyan Jurassic againstwhich the Australian record may be fitted(Fig. 1). The data are presented as follows:

A. Selected palaeontological records fromkey regions in Gondwana and Laurasiaare summarised in the text and set out incolumnar form against the Jurassic Stagesin Table I. Tethyan and Boreal ammoniterecords from western Europe are set outin columns 3-6, and ammonite recordsfrom other regions in columns 7-13.Selected microfaunal and microfloral bio-stratigraphies are given in columns 14-19.Specific subject columns are given thesame number in Table IA (Hettangian toBajocian), and Table IB (Bathonian toTithonian).

B. Absolute ages here accepted for the Jur-assic Stages are given in Figure 1 and setout in Table I column 1.

C. At present a uniform global magneto-stratigraphic record exists only for theLate Jurassic (see Table TB column 1).

D. The Jurassic of Australia is brieflyreviewed, and updates Burger (1990a)and Bradshaw & Yeung (1992). Therecords of the most important fossils areset out in Table I columns 20-28.

E. Evidence of the effect of eustasy has beendetected in the depositional history ofseveral Australian sedimentary basins,and its contribution to age determinationof rock sequences are reviewed (Fig. 5).

THE STANDARD JURASSIC TIMESCALE

From the eighteenth century onwards,Jurassic strata have been mapped in southernEngland (W. Smith, W.D. Conybeare, J.Phillips, W. Buckland, H.B. Woodward,W.D. Lang, S.S. Buckman, L.F. Spath, W.J.

Arkell), northwestern and central France (H.de la Beche, E. de Beaumont, H. Douville, P.de Loriol, A. d'Orbigny, E. Haug, F. Roman),northeastern France (E.W. Benecke), north-western Germany (F. Koch, W. Dunker, H.Salfeld, G. Hoffmann, F.A. Romer), the Jurain France and southern Germany (W Kilian,L. von Buch, A. von Humboldt, F.A. Quen-stedt, A. Oppel, K. von Zittel, W. Waagen,J.F. Pompeckj), northern Switzerland (J.Thurmann, L. Rollier, A. Gressley, M. Neu-mayr), Poland (G. Bukowski, J. Lewinski),and western Russia (S. Nikitin, A. Pavlov, A.Borissiak).

In 1795 Alexander von Humboldt firstcoined the term Jura Kalkstein for theJurassic in Germany. In 1823 AlexandreBrongniart referred as terrains Jurassiques tothe Lower Oolitic Series of Conybeare andPhillips. Subdivision into Lower (or Lias),Middle, and Upper Jurassic was establishedby Leopold von Buch in 1837, based on hiswork in Germany. Alcide d'Orbigny set upthe basis for a Jurassic biochronology forwestern Europe in 1842-1852. That schemewas slightly extended by Alfred Oppel in1858, and Edouard Renevier and CharlesMeyer-Eymar in 1864. As such, it wasadopted in the U.K., as sequences of southernEngland and Burgundy were correlated byThomas Wright (published in 1872).

That scheme forms the base of the presentsuccession of stages for the Tethyan Jurassic.The present-day concepts of biostratigraphy,methods of correlation, and palaeogeographicinterpretation have largely evolved from theefforts of those early workers.

This section reviews current Tethyan andglobal standards of ammonite biostratigraphy,chronostratigraphy, and magnetostratigraphy.The time framework outlined serves as aprovisional calibration scale for the Jurassicof Australia. Limited space prevents any butthe briefest review of earlier studies, whichare acknowledged in the publications referredto below.

THE AMMONITE RECORD

The Jurassic Period succeeds the TriassicPeriod, and is followed by the CretaceousPeriod. It includes 11 Stages, which are

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delineated by ammonite faunas describedfrom western Europe. Those faunas are partof the Mediterranean Province of the TethyanRealm (Brinkmann, 1959), but Boreal in-fluences are also apparent (Holder, 1979). Inbroad terms, the English faunas are Boreal toSubboreal, and those from France andGermany Submediterranean in character (Fig.1; Table I columns 3-6).

Various problems related to establishing astandard ammonite biostratigraphy, selectingboundary type sections, and associated items,have been the subject of many symposia,such as the CoRoque sur le Lias frangais; theDeuxieme Colloque International du Juras-sique; the CoRoque sur la limite Jurassique-Cretacë; the IUGS International Symposiumon Jurassic Stratigraphy (Michelsen & Zeiss,1984).

The Early and Middle Jurassic Stages setout in Table I are those summarised in Cope,Duff & others (1980), Cope, Getty & others(1980), and those recommended for the U.K.to the IUGS in Prague (George & others,1969) and the Deuxieme CoRoque Inter-national du Jurassique (Morton, 1974). TheLate Jurassic Stages are those summarised inZiegler (1974, 1981), and Mdgnien &Megnien (1980).

At the time of publication, the results ofthe 2nd International Symposium on JurassicStratigraphy (Lisbon, 1988) were not avail-able to the author. Dr. J. Thierry (Universitede Bourgogne, Dijon) kindly communicatedthe proposals for the Middle Jurassic, sub-mitted by him for the French JurassicWorking Group to the 3d International Sym-posium on Jurassic Stratigraphy (Poitiers,1991). Those proposals have been incorp-orated in Table I columns 4 and 5.

The following paragraphs relate to certainoutstanding problems for which temporarysolutions have been agreed upon.

Triassic-Jurassic boundary

A marine transgression in Europe duringthe Rhaetian and Hettangian created epi-continental environments in Switzerland,Germany, northern France, and southernEngland. Initially, the Early Jurassic wastaken to include the Rhdtische Gruppe of

C.W. Gimbel in the German and AustrianAlps, the rhetien of E. Renevier in France,and the Rhaetic beds of C. Moore in England.Because of their transgressive character thosesequences proved difficult to correlate indetail. In the first place, the fauna of theAlpine reef limestones is too fades-limited toserve as the type of the Rat-Lias boundary(Fabricius, 1974). In the second place, thebasal Lias in Switzerland and southernGermany often includes an unconformityassociated with a basal conglomerate (Brink-mann, 1959). In the third place, in southernEngland the correlative strata include aninterval of «non-sequence».

Torrens & Getty (1980) discussed thecorrelation of the ammonite records fromthose sequences. They recommended that thelower limit of the basal planorbis subzone ofthe PLANORBIS zone, and not the top of thePenarth Group, be taken as the Tr-J bound-ary. Thus, that boundary falls between theTriassic (Rhaetian) PREPLANORBIS zoneand the Jurassic (Hettangian) PLANORBISzone. The final choice of a boundary typelocality is still being debated (Mouterde, inMichelsen & Zeiss, 1984 I).

Late Jurassic

Correlation of the Oxfordian in England,France, and Germany is more complicatedthan given in Table 1B (Enay & Menendez, inMichelsen & Zeiss, 1984 I). Brenner (1988)found that on dinoflagellate evidence theBIMAMMATUM to PLATYNOTA zonalinterval in southwestern Germany may becorrelated with the BAYLEI to CYMODOCEzonal interval in England. This observationraises far-reaching questions on the isochronyof fossil zonal boundaries in general, but istoo recent to be fully evaluated.

Morton (1974), Cope, Duff & others(1980), and Debrand-Pessard & others (1980)proposed the BAYLEI zone to be the basalzone for the Kimmeridgian. Morton did notdefine the top of the Kimmeridgian, butCope, Duff & others proposed the succeedingPortlandian in England to represent theyoungest Jurassic stage in the Boreal Realm,starting with the ALBANI zone (Fig. 2).

The tithonische Etage was introduced by

a••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

SOUTHERNENGLAND

Cope, Duff et all 980

(preplicomphales)

primitivus

Elloppressus

anguiformis

kerberus

okusensis

glaucolithus

albani

fittoni

rotunda

pallasioides

pectinatus

hudlestoni

wheyatleyensis

scitulus

efegans

22

GERMANY

Ziegler, 1974, 1981

poor

ammonite

record

0palmatum &

ciliaturntavaricum

palatinus &vimineus

parvinodosum

triplicatus

tagersheimensemoernheimensis

rueppelianus

rledense

SIBERIA

Mesezhnikov, 1988

(origins/is)

okensis

Ell Ivogulicus

groenlandicus

Crendonitesspp.

maximus

ilovaiskii

iatriensis

fideri

subcrassatum

magnum

20.1/3

RUSSIANPLATFORM

Mesezhnikov, 1988

(subditus)

fulgens

_Elloppressus

nikitini

virgatus

0

panderi

pseudoscythica

solokovi

klimovi

0

cc

Figure 2: Correlation of latest Jurassic ammonite zones in England, Russia, and Siberia

Alfred Oppel in 1865 for the interval betweenthe Kimmeridgian EUDOXUS zone and thebasal Cretaceous ROUBAUDIANUS (=OTOPETA) zone. Since the studies of VonZittel and Neumayr in southern Germany thename has been widely applied in TethyanEurope for the HYBONOTLTM/ELEGANS toTRANSITORIUS zonal interval. Debrand-Pessard & others (1980) took the GRAVESIzone as the basal zone of the Tithonian in theParis Basin.

Zeiss (1974) discussed the definition anda possible type section for the Tithonian inthe Tethyan Realm, and proposed a lower-middle Tithonian (Danubian) as the intervalwhich commences with the HYBONOTUM

zone (Franconia, southern Germany), and anupper Tithonian, which commences with theSCRUPOSUS zone (Ardeche, southeasternFrance). Acceptance of this proposal woulddepend on better knowledge of the Ardecheammonites, and a universally accepted defin-ition of the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary.

Enay & Geyssant (1975) proposed that theTithonian start with the HYBONOTUMzone, and end with the «DURANGITES»(upper TRANSITORIUS) zone, which wasdescribed from the Cordilleras Beticas insouthern Spain. However, many of theSpanish Tithonian zones are not recognisedin other regions of Europe, and no standardTithonian ammonite zonation has been

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defined to date. This Record follows Cope,Duff & others (1980) for the Late Jurassic,and takes the «early›> Kirnrneridgian (i.e. theBAYLEI to AUTISSIODORENSIS zonalinterval) as the Kimmeridgian sensu stricto(Table 1B column 3).

Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary

A satisfactory palaeontological definitionfor the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary has notyet been agreed upon. The traditionallyaccepted J-K boundary has been taken to liebetween the Tithonian CHAPERI zone andthe Berriasian GRANDIS zone in south-eastern France (Le Hëgarat, in Cavelier &Roger, 1980). At the Colloque sur la limiteJurassique-Cretace in 1973 the combinedGRANDIS-JACOBI interval was seriouslyconsidered as an alternative lowermost Cret-aceous zone in the Tethyan Realm (althoughit truncates the Tithonian as proposed byZeiss, 1974). This new boundary has anequivalent in the Boreal Realm of Russia. Itis indicated in Table 113 and Figures 1 and 2(see also Burger, in press 1).

Ammonite records outside Europe

The European ammonite zones form thestandard for Jurassic records in other areas ofthe world. However, many ammonite recordshave too many endemic elements to beassembled into a world-wide Jurassic bio-stratigraphy.

Palaeogeographic interconnections existedbetween northwestern Europe and otherTethyan and Boreal/Arctic regions, but theywere selective. There was a direct connect-ion between the southern European andAndean orthogeosynclines. A narrow epi-continental sea lane carrying endemic faunas(with Indopacific elements) extended fromthe Himalayan Province across Somalia toMadagascar.

Western Australia and New Zealand werewithin the eastern Himalayan or IndopacificProvince (Brinkmann, 1959; Holder, 1979).The correlation of the meagre record fromWestern Australia with the overall Tethyanpicture still includes many uncertainties.

Laurasia: Outside Tethyan/Borealwestern Europe, Boreal/Arctic and Tethyanammonite biostratigraphies have been set upfor (parts of) the Jurassic in northern Poland(Kutek & others, 1984), Russia, and Siberia(Mesezhnikov, 1988). Correlation of rocksequences in those regions still presents someproblems (Table I columns 7-9). The recordcontinues eastward into western China, whereit is incomplete and augmented with bivalvemollusc and brachiopod evidence (Yang,1986). More marine environments areindicated by the almost complete and detailedammonite record of Japan (Table I column10). In North America, a broad ammonitesubdivision has been set up for the Jurassic inthe Pacific region only (Table I column 12).An incomplete zonation for the MiddleJurassic has been erected for western Canada(Westermann, 1981).

G ondwana: Due to the late opening ofthe Indian Ocean the most detailed ammoniterecord described from the Gondwana Super-continent (Western India) lacks the EarlyJurassic (Table I column 11). Early andMiddle Jurassic ammonites from SouthAmerica reveal Tethyan influences (Wester-mann, 1974; Von Hillebrandt, 1984; Table Icolumn 14). The New Zealand Jurassicincludes records of ammonites, belemnites,and pelecypods, but no formal zonal systemhas yet been developed (Stevens & Speden,1978).

ABSOLUTE TIME

Very few reliable isotopic data have so farbeen obtained from the ocean floor. Moreuseful (U-Pb, K-As, Rb-Sr, Ar-Ar) ages havebeen measured in onshore sedimentary andcrystalline rocks linked with the fossil record,yet they are scarce and far from conclusive.As a result, geochronological frameworks forthe Jurassic are obtained by extrapolationfrom key data, whereby it is assumed that seafloor spreading proceeded at a constant rate,and/or that Stages or ammonite zones are ofequal duration, accepting a constant rate ofammonite evolution.

The radiometric evidence reviewed byArmstrong (1978, 1982) and Odin (1982 Part

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II, Chapter NDS Abstracts, p. 659-948), givessome indications between which age limitsthe Jurassic Stages may fall. The Mesozoictime scale of Gradstein, Ogg, & others (seeAAPG Annual Convention 1993) was notavailable at the time of publication. Thisauthor accepts 205 Ma for the Tr-J boundary(Harland & others, 1989, p. xv; Odin & Odin,1990) and 141 Ma for the J-K boundary(Bralower & others, 1990).

Van Hinte (1976) calculated ages forStage boundaries based on equal duration ofammonite subzones (averaging about 1 Ma),on the theory that ammonite evolution wouldhave progressed at a constant rate. Thisapproach yields plausible estimates for partsof the Jurassic (Geological Society ofLondon, 1964; Harland & others, 1982, 1989;Westermann, 1984; Hallam & others, 1985).This approach may be questioned, in that it isequally likely that ammonite evolution wasgoverned by the environment and thus did notproceed in a linear fashion (Hallam, 1984).However, in the absence of more positiveevidence, this Record follows Van Hinte'sapproach in dating the Stage boundaries, onthe assumption that the duration of ammonitezones in various type regions is about 1 Ma(Fig. 1; Table I column 1). The resultingEarly and Middle Jurassic ages approximatethose given in recent literature.

GEOMAGNETIC REVERSALS

Since the early nineteen sixties, a contin-uous sequence of successive reversals of theearth's dipole magnetic field have beenlogged in Cainozoic, Mesozoic, and UpperPalaeozoic magmatic and sedimentary rocksequences. Those reversals have beenrecorded on the oceanic crust as well as onland. Most probably they originated frominternal and not extraterrestrial causes(Merrill & McFadden, 1988).

From logging of geomagnetic lineations ofrift zones in the Pacific (south of Hawaii),Larson & Hilde (1975) and Vogt & Einwich(1979) compiled a standard reversal diagramfor the Late Jurassic and the Early Cretac-eous. The Jurassic section of this Keithley orM sequence includes anomalies M19 to M25(Table TB column 1).

Older reversals have been logged also innorthern Spain, Germany, Italy, Hungary, andSwitzerland (Klootwijk & others, 1994).They are not yet known in sufficient detail toserve as a standard for the entire Jurassic.Cande & others (1978) regarded Pacificanomalies PM26-PM29 as being truereversals of the earth's magnetic field. Bryan& others (1980) logged several anomalies onthe Northwest Atlantic sea floor (Blake-Bahama Basin), which they labeled AM26-AM28 and «Blake Spur». Both series lackage control, but the authors thought that onprofile characteristics and age, AM26 maycorrespond with anomalies PM26-PM28.

INTEGRATION OF DATA

The integration of magmetostratigraphywith the fossil and isotopic records promisesto furnish the verification necessary topinpoint ages of geological events with moreconfidence. At present, attempts towardsintegration may not be expected as a rule toshow a high degree of internal consistency, inview of the uncertainties involved (biostrati-graphic resolution, rate of seafloor spreading,radiometric decay constants) within eachdiscipline (see following diagram).

biostratigraphyA•

\• •chronostratigraphy^magnetostratigraphy

Correlation A - B

Links the fossil record to isotopic ages(see section ABSOLUTE TIME).

Correlation B • C

Aims at establishing absolute ages forindividual geomagnetic reversals. Very few

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reliable isotopic dates have been obtainedfrom the ocean floor. Given the plethora ofgeochronologies which now exist for theJurassic, the method of calculating ages ofreversals by extrapolation from key pointsdoes not necessarily pinpoint an anomaly toits proper Jurassic Stage. The M18 to M29sequence has been set out in Table 13 in sucha way as not to violate correlation A-Cdiscussed below; there is no intention tosuggest true ages for individual anomalies.

Correlation A - C

Aims at linking individual anomalies withJurassic Stages. Fossil control has beenobtained from the ocean floor for only a fewanomalies. Ogg (1983) reported anomalyM19n in DSDP site 534 (northern Atlantic) tobe linked with the lower limit of calpionellidzone B (the lower limit of the combinedGRANDIS-JACOBI ammonite interval, seeBurger, in press 1). Strata overlying anomalyM25 in DSDP sites 100 and 105 (NorthwestAtlantic) include Jurassic (Oxfordian-Kimmeridgian) nannofossils and foraminifera(see Ogg & others, 1984). Weak magneticreversals have been detected in the JurassicQuiet Zone in the Pacific and NorthwestAtlantic Ocean floors. Bottom strata over-lying anomaly Als,428 in the Blake-BahamaBasin (DSDP site 534A) are dated middleCallovian (Gradstein & Sheridan, 1983).

The paucity of data has compelled geo-physicists to link geomagnetic reversals tothe Jurassic Stages by extrapolating betweenselected key points. In other words, theyachieved correlation A-C via steps B-C andA-B. This approach, however unavoidable atthis time, is not fit for a proper cross-check ofthe data. For that reason calculated ages ofanomalies vary considerably, depending onthe key points and the geological time scaleselected by individual authors.

Magnetic logging of land-based sediment-ary sequences has reaped much morerewarding results. Reversal sequences inJurassic fossiliferous pelagic limestones inSpain and Italy have been correlated with theM-sequence of anomalies, and some of themost recent results are given in Figure 1. Theage for AM27 ('Blake Spur') is taken from

Gradstein & Sheridan (1983) and Steiner &others (1985).

THE RECORD OF MICROFOSSILS

FAUNAS

Micropalaeontology plays an increasinglyimportant role in world-wide correlations,aided by the huge influx of data from thesubsurface, and from continental shelves andocean floor. Jurassic foraminiferal recordsare mostly dominated by benthonic elements;regionally applicable biostratigraphies havebeen developed but to date no global zonalsystem exists for foraminifera (or ostracods).A calpionellid biostatigraphy for the LatestJurassic in the western Tethys (Remane,1978) has been a useful aid in conrelatiingother fossil sequences.

FLORAS

Calcareous nannofossils (Text and Table 1columns 14, 15 contributed by S. Shafik)

Published Jurassic nannofossil zonalschemes (Barnard & Hay, 1974; Hamilton,1979; 1982; Medd, 1982; Bown & others,1988; Reale & others, 1992; Baldanza &Mattioli, 1992) are based on successions innorthern and western Europe, and other(mainly southern European) areas in theNorthern Hemisphere. Only those of Bown& others (1988) and of Baldanza & Mattioli(1992) are presented (Table I columns 14 and15). Due to their different biogeographicsetting, stratigraphic ranges of certain markerspecies in these two zonations may differ forthe Boreal Realm in northern Europe and theTethyan Realm to the south (e.g. Cooper,1989).

The Toarcian to early Bajocian parts ofthe two schemes were discussed by Shafik(1994). Most of the shared events, notablythe earliest occurrences of Carinolithussuperbus, Discorhabdus striatus, Retecapsaincompta and Watznaueria britannica, aregiven similar ages in both schemes. Despitethe seemingly minor differences, that of

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Bown & others (1988) is more applicable toAustralian material (Shafik, 1994). A notabledifference is the earliest occurrence ofLotharingius contractus in relation to otherevents; that event was critical to the bio-stratigraphic assignment and dating of theRowley Terrace assemblages (see below).

Palynomorphs

Palynological studies today embrace avery wide range of palaeoenvironments.Both terrestrial (flood-plain, lacustrine,fluvial, deltaic to lagoonal, and littoral) andoffshore sediments (epineritic to continentalshelf) produce a wealth of plant microfossils,of which spores, pollen grains, and dino-flagellate cysts have proven to be the mostsignificant.

Spores & pollen: Extensive Jurassicvegetation provinces have been documented,especially in the Northern Hemisphere, wherethe distribution of common plant groups (forinstance gymnosperms, such as Classopollisand Araucariacites) is shown to have beenrestricted by palaeolatitudinal (i.e. palaeo-climatic) control. Broadly parallel develop-ments are thus apparent between continents,and palaeofloristic links are shown to haveexisted between Australia and other Gond-wana continents (De Jersey, 1973; McKellar,1974; Filatoff, 1975). However, current bio-stratigraphic schemes in use for individualregions are based largely on endemic ele-ments, and this precludes detailed long-rangecorrelations.

Dino flagellate s: Due to their floatinglife-style, marine dinoflagellates have beenmuch more successful tools for long-rangecorrelations than spores and pollen grains.Table I columns 17-19 give a selection ofzonal schemes established for the Atlanticregion. The global biostratigraphy proposedby Williams (1977) is set out in column 16.Habib & Drugg (1983) published a usefuldinocyst distribution chart for the Middle andLate Jurassic of the northwestern Atlantic.Other studies dealing with shorter Jurassicintervals have been mentioned in Woollam &Riding (1983), and in the very comprehensive

biostratigraphic summary of Williams &Bujak (1985).

Dinoflagellate records from Eurasia out-side Europe, and especially from China andJapan, are incomplete and indicate endemicdevelopments. Records from Gondwana arealso very fragmentary and incomplete. InNew Zealand a continuous sequence has beendocumented only from the latest Jurassic orHeterian upwards (Wilson, 1984). To date aformal biostratigraphy covering almost theentire Jurassic has been developed only forthe Australian region (Helby & others, 1987).

EUSTASY

During the last hundred years a large bodyof evidence has been amassed for theexistence of a series of synchronous rises andfalls of the sealevel in several continentsduring the last 500 million years. Hallam(1977) suggested that they originated fromepisodes of uplift and subsidence of mid-oceanic ridges. Changes in volume of landice or in mean temperature of oceans wouldhave been a minor influence during theJurassic (Hallam, 1977, 1984; Donovan &Jones, 1979). Changes in the physical con-figuration of the globe also fall outside thescope of this paper, as they would result ininfinitely slower eustatic movements.

Hallam (1977) developed a preliminaryeustatic sealevel curve for the Jurassic, whichindicates a slow absolute rise (of at least 150m), interrupted by recurrent brief falls of sea-level up to Oxfordian times, and a probablefall during the ICimmeridgian and Tithonian.Vail & others (1977) and Vail & Todd (1981)devised a «relative change of coastal onlapsealevel curve for the Mesozoic and Caino-zoic, based on seismically interpreted trunc-ation of strata sequences in the northernAtlantic region. A broader study, integratingseismic and sequence stratigraphic data tocreate depositional models, by Haq & others(1987) resulted in a detailed (provisional)coastal onlap curve for the Mesozoic andCainozoic. Their sealevel curve is taken as aguide against which to correlate the Jurassicrecord in Australia (Fig. 5).

13

AUSTRALIAN MESOZOICSEDIMENTARY BASINS

THE JURASSIC OF AUSTRALIA

INTRODUCTION

The earliest observations on geology andpalaeontology in this continent date from thelate eighteenth century, and were documentedin official and informal reports, journals,diary notes, private letters written by curiousvisitors, explorers, local prospectors, andlaymen with scientific geological interestexploring the land, commonly on horse-back.

The discovery of economically valuableminerals (gold, coal, copper) in the nine-teenth century led the Governments of NewSouth Wales, Victoria, and Queensland toinstigate official enquiries, and this activitygradually led to the institution of GovernmentGeological and Mining Departments, whichwere charged with the organisation of geo-logical and mining acitivities. Subsequentstudies gradually filled in the rough geologyof the continent, and at the beginning of thetwentieth century geological and palaeon-tological research had been placed on aproper organisational and legislative footingin each of the states and territories.

Initially, Jurassic strata were known onlyfrom outcrop as coal beds in New SouthWales and Queensland (E Chapman, T.W.E.David, H.I. Jensen, F. Reeves). Interest inthe geology of Queensland was stimulated bythe discovery, early in the century, of oil andgas in the Jurassic of the Great AustralianBasin. Despite a series of setbacks, syste-matic mapping of large tracts of the basinstarted in the nineteen twenties (R.L. Jack,W.G. Woolnough, F.W. Whitehouse, L.C.Ball). Petroleum exploration at Karumba,Wyaaba, and Weipa, and geophysical surveysafter World War 2 have opened up CapeYork Peninsula (Smart & others, 1980).

Geological exploration in Western Aust-ralia started near the end of last century.Much of it was done by A. Gibb Maitland,who - as Government Geologist - reported onJurassic strata in the first comprehensivepublication on the geology of that state.Jurassic fossils were reported hthially byW.T. Bednall, C. Moore, R. Etheridge Jr.,C.G. Crick, and other workers, and laterstudied in more detail by L.F. Spath, C.

Teichert, R.O. Brunnschweiler, and W.J.Arkell. Systematic field mapping and studyof fossils in various sedimentary basins ofWestern Australia began after World War 2.

A CamarvonAl Exmouth PlateauB PerthB1 Naturafiste PlateauC Great Australian BightCl PoldaD1 CanningD2 Rowley TerraceE BrowseF Bonaparte^0

Figure 3: Australian sedimentary basins containingJurassic strata

In 1946 the Federal Government institutedthe Bureau of Mineral Resources, Geologyand Geophysics (BMR). Housed initially inMelbourne, and later in Canberra, A.C.T., theBMR was renamed in 1991 as the AustralianGeological Survey Organisation (AGSO). Asthe largest earth science research institute inthe country, AGSO acts as the federalrepository of geological documentation, andexpands and integrates our knowledge of thegeology of the Australian plate. Geologicaland geophysical activity was speeded up withthe availability of aerial photographs and theuse of four-wheel drive vehicles. Systematicmapping of sedimentary basins, frequently injoint projects with State Geological Surveys,started in Western Australia, Queensland, andNorthern Territory.

••••••••••••••••••••••••

Money Shoal andBathurst TerraceLauraCarpentaria^GreatEromanga AustralianSuratMaryboroughClarence - MoretonGippslandOtway

111A1158

••

••••

14^ •

Bradshaw andYeung,1992

Burger, in press 1Bradshaw andYeung,1992

Ma

140

150

160

170

180

190

200

210

(CRETACEOUS)

Tithonian

Kimmeridgian

Oxfordian

E/5c/3

';)Lil1-‹

Callovian

Bathonian

Bajocian

Aalenian

Toarcian

Rensbachian

Sinemurian

Hettangian

(TRIASSIC)

Strzelecki andOtway Groups

BlythesdaleGroup

Injune CreekGroup

BundambaGroup

JURASSIC STAGES^GREAT AUSTRALIAN &CLARENCE-MORETON

BASINS

OTWAY-GIPPSLAND

BASINS

PERTHBASIN

CARNAR VONBASIN

BONAPARTEGULF BASIN

ParmeliaFormation

YarragadeeFormation

ChampionBay Group

CockleshellGully Fm

HILesueur

Sandstone

Bradshaw andYeung,1992

BarrowGroup

DingoClaystone

BrigadierFormation

Bradshaw andYeung,1992

Von Rad eta!, 1992

PetrelFormation

MalitaFormation

Bradshaw andYeung,1992

20.1/38

Figure 4: Prominent Jurassic lithostratigraphic sequences in Australia

To stimulate petroleum exploration on thecontinent, the Federal Government signed thefirst Petroleum Search Subsidy Act of 1957.Those projects greatly stimulated in-depthstratigraphic and palaeontological research ofsedimentary basins. During the nineteensixties the search for oil and natural gas wasstepped up, and intensive drilling and seismicexploration by SHELL, ESSO, WAPET,WOODSIDE, BURMAH OIL, ATLANTICRICHFIELD, ELF-AQUITAINE, and othercompanies greatly expanded the known areaof the Jurassic sedimentary blanket inAustralia, particularly in the western andnorthwestern offshore regions.

THE RECORD OF DEPOSITION

The Jurassic geological history of Aust-ralia, including plate tectonics, stratigraphy,

palaeontology, and palaeoenvironments of 15onshore, coastal, and offshore sedimentarybasins, has been summarised in the JurassicVolume of the B11412 Palaeogeographic Atlasfor Australia (Bradshaw & Yeung, 1992; seeFigs 3, 4).

During the Jurassic Australia fell withinthe sphere of the marine orthogeosynclinaldevelopments in the eastern Tethys. Most ofthe Australian Plate was above sea level. Themargins of the vast central Archaic shield inthe east are onlapped by nonmarine Jurassicstrata; only its northernmost (Cape York,Bonaparte Gulf) and western regions (Perth,Carnarvon, and Canning Basins, NorthwestShelf) have yielded evidence of marineinfluence.

The Gondwana continents had not yetbegun to separate, but initial rifting occurredbetween Australia and Antarctica (Quilty,

15

1984). Along the western and northwesternmargins, fault systems and rift valleys,accompanied by brief and marginally marineincursions emerged during the Late Triassic.At the northwestern margin, progressivebreakup started with the formation of newseafloor (Argo Abyssal Plain) during the LateJurassic (Buffler, 1994; Exon & Colwell,1994).

The Great Australian Basin includes themost complete sequence of Jurassic non-marine sediments preserved on the continent.Coal beds at the Triassic-Jurassic boundaryhave been mapped in the adjoining Clarence-Moreton Basin, and at Leigh Creek, SouthAustralia (Playford & Dettmann, 1965).Although mostly blanketed by Cretaceousand Tertiary sediments, especially in Queens-land, the Jurassic has been accurately loggedduring widespread drilling for artesian waterand petroleum. Unpublished work by thisauthor indicates the presence of nonmarineand shallow marine Lower and MiddleJurassic strata also in Cape York Peninsula.

Outside Queensland and the northeasternpart of New South Wales, the Jurassic ispoorly known from outcrop in Australiansedimentary basins. Basal Jurassic diatremebreccias occur in the Sydney Basin (Helby &Morgan, 1979). In the Otway and GippslandBasins the Upper Jurassic is known almostentirely from boreholes. The origin ofreworked Early Jurassic spores and pollengrains in the Cretaceous of the Otway Basinhas not been satisfactorily traced. UpperJurassic sediments have been logged in off-shore boreholes in the Great Australian Bight(or Eyre Basin) and Polda Basin along thesouthern margin of the continent.

Marine and nonmarine Jurassic strata havebeen mapped and logged in outcrop and thesubsurface in the western and northwesternbasins. The geology of many offshore basinsis very complicated, especially on the NorthWest Shelf, and details on stratigraphy arestill obscure (Bradshaw & others, 1988;Ramsay & Exon, 1994).

THE FOSSIL RECORD

Sedimentary basins along the western andnorthwestern margin of the continent contain

strata carrying ammonites, belerrmites, pele-cypods, foraminifera, and palynomorphs -especially dinoflagellate cysts (Arkell, 1956;McWhae & others, 1958; Bnmnschweiler,1960; Playford & others, 1975; Quilty, 1975;Helby & others, 1987). Those faunas anfloras indicate Antarctic influences andaffinity with other Gondwana continents.Australian palaeontologists have thereforetraditionally related the fossil record to thestandard European Jurassic geochronology.

The marine fossil record from WesternAustralia provides a measure of age controlfor the extensive record of spores and pollenfrom nonmarine Jurassic strata in north-eastern Australia. The most important fossilrecords from Australia are briefly sum-marised below. The space available allowsonly the more recent studies to be mentioned.

Faunas

Vertebrates (Table I column 28): Therecord is poor and fragmented. Fresh-waterfish have been reported from the Middle toLate Jurassic of Talbragar (J. Long, 1982;Long & Turner, 1984; L. Long, 1991).Amphibians are known from the EarlyJurassic Marburg and Evergreen faunas(Warren, 1982, 1991; Molnar, 1984a; Lees,1986). Reptiles are known from Mt Morgan(Bartholomai, 1966; Molnar, 1982, 1991) andthe Evergreen fauna (Lees, 1986; Molnar,1991), both basal Jurassic, and from theMiddle Jurassic Walloon fauna (Molnar,1980, 1982, 1984b, 1991; Lees, 1986).

Invertebrates: The record is frag-mented and is restricted chiefly to WesternAustralia. It includes Protozoa (foraminifera,tintinnina), Portfera, Bryozoa, Arthropoda(ostracods), Echinodennata (echinoids),Mollusca (gastropods, bivalves, ammonites,nautiloids, belemnites), and Brachiopoda(Quilty, 1975). The following fossil groupshave made the most significant contributionsto age determination and interbasinaI corre-lations.

Am monites and belemnit e s(Table I column 27): Ammonites are knownfrom the latest Jurassic of the Canning Basin

a

•

a

40

4)

a

40

a

16

(Brunnschweiler, 1957, 1960), the Middle toLate Jurassic of the Carnarvon Basin(McWhae & others, 1958) and the earlyMiddle Jurassic of the Perth Basin (Arkell &Playford, 1954; Arkell, 1956; Coleman &Slcwarko, 1967; Hall, 1989). Belerrnfites areknown from the latest Jurassic of the CanningBasin (Bninnschweiler, 1957, 1960) and theMiddle Jurassic (Bajocian) of the Perth Basin(McWhae & others, 1958).

B iv alv es: Bivalve molluscs are knownfrom the Late Jurassic of the Carnarvon Basin(Teichert, 1940a) and the Canning Basin(Teichert, 1940b; Brunnschweiler, 1957,1960; Fleming, 1959), and from the MiddleJurassic of the Perth Basin (Coleman &Skwarko, 1967).

F or aminifer a (Table IA column 21):Scattered occurrences of agglutinated forami-nifera have been reported from the LateJurassic in the Carnarvon Basin (McWhae &others, 1958). Apthorpe & Heath (1981)developed a zonal system for Sinemurian/Pliensbachian to middle Bajocian strata dril-led in petroleum exploration wells on theNorth West Shelf. Agglutinated foraminiferawere reported also from the Late Jurassic ofDSDP sites 259 and 261 at the outer marginof the shelf (Bartenstein, 1974; Kuznetsova,1974).

Floras

Plant megafossils: The discoveryand mining of coal in the Great Australianand Clarence-Moreton Basins gave rise topalaeobotanical research, which was initiatedby A.B. Walkom and L.C. Ball (Queensland)around the turn of the century, and continuedby F.W. Whitehouse (1955), R.E. Gould(1975, 1980), and M.W. White (unpublishedBMR Records). In Western Australia, ident-ifiable plant megafossils have been reportedfrom the Toarcian and Late Jurassic of thePerth Basin (McWhae & others, 1958). Thepresent record - although these fossils arelocally abundant - is incomplete and frag-mentary, and a Jurassic megafloral biostrati-graphy for Australia has not been instituted.

Calcareous nannofossils (Textand Table I column 20 contributed by S.Shafik): Little is known about the Jurassicbiostratigraphic succession in the Australianregion; in northwestern Australia thestratigraphic ranges of most key species arevirtually unknown. Jurassic nannofossilshave been documented from the largelyparalic succession of the Rowley Terrace andfrom the ammonite-rich NewmarracarraLimestone of the Perth Basin (Sheik, 1994),and also from DSDP site 261 and ODP site765 in the Argo Abyssal Plain (Proto-Decima, 1974; Dumoulin & Bown, 1992).The nannofossil biostratigraphy of the LateJurassic-Early Cretaceous sequence of site765 has been described as problematic, onaccount of low diversities (associated withpoor preservation and barren intervals) andthe probability that certain key species areabsent or rare, and have truncated ranges(Bown, 1992).

The Jurassic levels recorded from theRowley Terrace are significant, in that theyfall within the paralic pre-breakup sequencewhich was deposited during the rifting ofGondwana. Two distinct nannofloras wererecorded (see column 20). One containsDiscorhabdu,s striatus and Carnolithussuperbus, suggesting an early Toarcian age(Discorhabdus striatus Zone of Bown &others, 1988). The other is dominated by thekey species Lotharingius contractus andother forms transitional between L.contractus and Watznaueria britannica,which suggest an early Bajocian age (theuppermost Lotharingius contractus Subzoneof Bown & others, 1988), in addition to amonospecific «assemblage» (Watznaueriabritannica) of possible mid Jurassic age.

The early Toarcian nannoflora, seeminglymore limited spatially, probably represents amarine ingression related to tectonically-controlled pulse(s) of increased subsidence,but the early Bajocian nannoflora is evidentlypart of a major transgression. The nannofloradescribed from the NewmarracarraLimestone is coeval with the early Bajocianone on the Rowley Terrace, being verysimilar. Their horizon correlates with aglobal eustatic rise in sealevel (Hag & others,1987), more clearly than does the horizon

17

bearing the early Toarcian nannofossils.The levels recorded from the Argo

Abyssal Plain represent the younger Jurassic(see Dumoulin & Bown, 1992), consistentwith the notion that the Argo Abyssal Plainwas formed as a result of a breakup eventgenerally Callovian/Oxfordian in age. Twonannofloras are recorded from site 261; onecontains the key species Stephanolithionbigotii bigodi and reveals a Tethyaninfluence, suggesting a late Kimmeridgian toearly Tithonian age. The other is Tithonianin age with abundant Watznaueria manivitaeand Zeugrhabdotus cooperi, lackingCruciellipsis cuvillieri, with a lesser Tethyaninfluence. Abundant Watznaueria manivitaewas also recorded from the base of thesection at site 765, suggesting a Tithonianage. Nannoconus, which is probably themost useful nannofossil taxon for definingthe Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary, is absent atsite 261, and that boundary was locatedapproximately by the earliest occurrence ofCruciellipsis cuvillieri (Dumoulin & B own,1992).

Dinoflagellates (TableIcolurnn 22;Fig. 5): The study of marine dinoflagellatecysts has demonstrated certain paralleldevelopments with the Tethyan Jurassic ofthe Northern Hemisphere (Helby & others,1987; Burger, 1990a). Cookson & Eisenack(1958, 1960) first described and reportedJurassic dinoflagellates from Australia.Evans (1966b) first attempted a biostrati-graphic analysis of the Late Jurassic record ofCape York Peninsula and Papua New Guinea.Burger (1982) and Helby & others (1987)examined latest Jurassic to Early Cretaceousmarine rock sequences from the peninsula.

The most complete Jurassic records todate have been obtained from the North WestShelf and the Papua New Guinea region, andhave given rise to several regional biostrati-graphies (Wiseman, 1980; Backhouse, 1978,1988; Helby & others, 1987; unpublisheddata). Based on those studies and their ownwork, Helby & others (1987) published acomprehensive biozonation for the Jurassic ofAustralia.

S p ores & pollen (Table I columns

23-26; Fig. 5): Spores and pollen grains arethe principal medium by which nonmarineand marine sedimentary sequences on theAustralian Plate are correlated. The Jurassicland vegetation was characterised by a largecomplement of gymnosperms. The ferncommunity was much less diverse thanduring the Cretaceous, and for that reason thenumber of Jurassic spore species recorded isroughly only half of that from the EarlyCretaceous.

Early studies by Balme (1957, 1964), DeJersey (1963, 1971, 1975, 1976), Dettmann(1963), Playford & Dettinann (1965), andEvans (1966a) established an enduring found-ation for subsequent biostratigraphic work inAustralia. Evans (1966a) first set up aninformal sequence of zonal units for easternAustralia. Dettmann & Playford (1969)studied latest Jurassic strata from the GreatAustralian and Otway-Gippsland Basins.Several of Evans' zonal units were formallydefined by Reiser & Williams (1969), DeJersey (1975, 1976), and Burger (1973,1989). Filatoff (1975) and Backhouse (1978)developed a formal zonation for the PerthBasin. Elements of various zonal schemeswere incorporated in the pan-Australianscheme compiled by Helby & others (1987).A more detailed informal subdivision for theJurassic of eastern Australia was publishedby Filatoff & Price (1988).

Ages of palynological zones

Age estimations of Jurassic palynologicalsequences in Australia are based on very littlefirm evidence. The difficulties are com-pounded by the fact that spore-pollen anddinoflagellate zones have been dated on thebasis of separate and only partly overlappingdossiers of evidence, with the result that dif-ferent ages have been deduced for contemp-oraneous zonal sequences. This is illustratedin Table I columns 23-25, in which variouszonal schemes are set out against the JurassicStages, in accordance with their authors'views. In an attempt to fmd a compromise,the present author summarised the mostreliable evidence available, and proposedalternative ages for various zones (Burger,1990; in press 2; in Young & Laurie, in

•

•

•0••

••••

••0

•

••

18^ 0

•

Ma

140

_

JURASSICSTAGES

1

(CRETACEOUS)

11J_I>

O-0

Lu EROMANGABASIN

3^4Hooray

Sandstone0 .^.^141-2TithonianCI) 146

150 CCKimmeridgian

151 Westbourne

- I- Oxfordian Formation<

160 159Callovian Adori

Fo(0

Sandstone165

170 BathonianWalloon

CoalMeasures173

—10 Bajocian

180 HuttonSandstone

180Aalenian

184 (sensu lab)0 Toarcian190 CO 190

Pliensbachian

195

Sinemurian200 CC

L1.1 Hettangiari02205

(TRIASSIC)210 low high

SURATBASIN

5(Mooga Sandstone)

6

UNITPK1

SPORE-POLLENZONES

7

Ruffordiaspora australiensis& Ctybelosporites stylosus

DINOFLAGELL.ZONES

8(C. delicata)

K. wisemaniae

JURASSICSTAGES

9(CRET)

Orallo FormationGubberamunda Sst Tithonian

P. iehienseD. jurassicum Kimmeridgian

WestbourneFormation

UNITPJ6

Retitfileteswatherooensis 0. montgomeryi

OxfordianC.perforansD. swanenseW. clathrata

Springbok W. soectabilis CallovianSandstone UNIT Murospora florida

R. aemula

Walloon Coal PJ5 W. digitate BathonianMeasures

Eurombah Fm UNITPJ4

Contignisporites cooksoniae W. acollaris

BajocianC. halosa7:1

D caddaenseHutton

SandstoneDictyotosporites

complex Unit J4

AalenianUNIT Callialasporites Units

ToarcianEvergreenp j3 turbatus J2-3

Boxvale Sst MbrPliensbachianFormation UNIT Assemblage

PJ2— —Corollina

torosaD

Precipice Sst Assemblage D. priscum Sinemurian- - - UNIT

PJ 1

—

Polycingulati-sporites

crenulatusAssemblage

B—R. rhaetica

Hettangian

(TRIASSIC)

20-1/39

z'E—

Figure 5: Global sea level movements, lithostratigraphic cycles in northeastern Australian basins,and their association with Jurassic palynological zones (for details see text).

press). The arguments for the revised agesare summarised below (see Fig. 5, Table Icolumn 26).

D i n o flag ellat e s : The biostrati-graphy of Helby & others (1987) includesseveral zonal intervals which are notdelineated by first appearances of appropriatespecies (the most consistent and reliablebiostratigraphic criterium) but on otherpalynological criteria. The geological rangesof those intervals within larger sequenceswhich are so defined are of limited use foraccurate corrtelation. The alternative zonalages argued below are based in part on firstappearances of selected species in Australiaand northwestern Europe, presumed to becontemporaneous events; they are notnecessarily linked to zonal limits. Such long-distance correlations need independent

verification, but attempts made for the EarlyCretaceous have yielded encouraging results(Morgan, 1980; Burger, 1982).

A. The Jurassic-Cretaceous (J-K) boundary isgenerally accepted to fall within thePseudoceratium iehiense-Cassiculosphaer-idia delicata zonal sequence. Helby &others (1987) placed the boundary withintheir Pseudoceratium iehiense zone, butDavey (1987) and Burger (in press 2)argued that it lies more probably within theKalyptea wisemaniae zone.

B. The Dingodinium jurassicum zone in theCanning Basin is associated with ?mid-Khnmeridgian belemnites (Helby & others,1987). It includes Systematophora areo-lata, which in Europe and the northwesternAtlantic first appears in the late Oxfordian.

19

•••••••••••••••••••••••••

•

••

Hence an Oxfordian age is suggested forthe preceding Omatia montgomeryi zone.

C. Point B implies that the Wanaea specta-bilis-Cribroperidinium petforans zonalsequence is not younger than Oxfordian,and this is also suggested by the presenceof Lepwdinium eumotphum and Belodin-ium dysculum within the Cribropridiniumperforans zone. In northwestern EuropeL. eumorphum first appears in the earlyOxfordian, and B. dysculurn in the lateOxfordian.

D. Ammonite evidence from the CarnarvonBasin suggests an (early?) Oxfordian agefor the middle Wanaea clathrata zone(Helby & others, 1987). Given the im-precise limits of that zone, the evidence isnot incompatible with a Callovian age heresuggested for the preceding Wanaeaspectabilis zone; it includes the earliestappearances of Scriniodinium crystallinurn,W. spectabilis, and W. clathrata, all ofwhich first appear within the (early)Callovian of northwestern Europe.

E. Rigaudella aemula first appears in thebasal Callovian of northwestern Europe.In conjunction with point D, this leads theauthor to regard the R. aemula zone asCallovian.

F. Helby & others (1987) suggested aCallovian age for the Wanaea digitatazone on the first appearance of thenominate species in northwestern Europe.The W. digitata and preceding Wanaeaacollaris (formerly W. indotata) zones arehere tentatively dated as Bathonian, basedon points D and E.

G. In the Perth Basin the Dissiliodiniumcaddaense zone is associated with theCadda Formation, whose upper part maybe correlated with the NewmarracarraLimestone of the Champion Bay Group(see Fig. 4), which contains early Bajocianammonites (Filatoff, 1975; Hall, 1989).The overlying Caddasphaera halosa zonemay thus be at least in part older thanBathonian, the age accepted by Helby &

others (1987). This is also suggested bypoint F, notwithstanding the gap betweenthe D. caddaense and C. halosa zones.

H. Conodont evidence from the North WestShelf (Nicoll & Foster, 1994) suggests thatthe Rhaetogonyaulax rhaetica zone mayextend upwards into the basal Jurassic (seealso point J below). The index species R.rhaetica is known also from the lowerHettangian of the U.K. (see Woollam &Riding, 1983).

S p ores & pollen The alternativeages here proposed for the zones of Filatoff& Price (1988) and Helby & others (1987)are based in part on the effects of eustasy ineastern Australian basins. The shifts in ageare found to be of the same order as those forthe dinofiagellates; they not to significantlyalter the time relations between the two zonalsequences as given in Helby & others (1987).The revised ages are set out in Figure 5columns 6 and 7, and column 7 also includescertain zonal intervals (Assemblages B-D,Units J2-J4) based on first appearances ofselected species, which have proven useful inthe northeastern Australian Jurassic.

J. Evidence from conodonts and palynologyon the North West Shelf (Nicoll & Foster,1994) indicates that the Triassic-Jurassicboundary falls within the Ashmoripollisreducta zone. De Jersey (1975, 1976) andDe Jersey & Raine (1990) had come to thesame conclusion, by placing that boundarywithin the correlative Polycingulatisporitescrenulatus zone (Assemblage B) in easternAustralia.

K. In the Perth Basin the Dictyotosporitescomplex zone of Filatoff (1975), i.e. thelower D. complex zone of Helby & others(1987), may be associated with the lowerBajocian Cadda Formation (see point G).This interval approximately equals Unit J4of Burger (1976) in northeastern Australia,where it falls within the upper part of theHutton Sandstone. Exon & Burger (1981)and Burger (1990a) linked that formationwith an Aalenian-Bajocian episode of loweustatic sea level.

20^ •

L. In northeastern Australia the earliestappearance of the genus Contignisporitesmarks the upper limit of Unit J4. Thatevent falls near the Hutton Sandstone/Eurombah Formation boundary, and onpalynological evidence may be Bajocian(McKellar,1974; Price & others 1985;Burger, 1990a). In the Perth Basin C.cooksoniae first appears in the YarragadeeFormation (Fig. 4). That event has beendated probably Callovian (Filatoff, 1975)and Bathonian (Helby & others, 1987), butpoint G indicates that those estimates areprobably too young.

M. In the Perth Basin, the Retitrileteswatherooensis zone falls within the Yarra-gadee Formation (Backhouse, 1988). Innortheastern Australia its correlative UnitPJ6 occurs in the Westbourne Formation,where it is linked with a Calloviart-Tithonian phase of high eustatic sea level(Exon & Burger, 1981; Price & others,1985; Burger, 1986). In the scheme ofHelby & others (1987) the lower limit ofthe zone falls within the Cribroperidiniumpeiforans dinoflagellate zone. Points C, D,and M suggest a slightly older association,which may perhaps indicate that R.watherooensis appeared earlier in easternthan in Western Australia.

N. Traditionally, the Jurassic-Cretaceous (J-K) boundary has been linked with the firstappearance of the spore genera Ruffordia-spora and Cicatricosisporites. Dettmann& Playford (1969) and later authors haveargued that at least one of those types ofspores probably appeared in the LateJurassic. Backhouse (1988) placed the J-Kboundary in Western Australia within hisBiretisporites eneabbaensis zone. In theeast it probably falls close to the boundarybetween lower and upper Ruffordiasporaaustraliensis zone (i.e. the first appearanceof Laevigatosporites belfordii and Dictyo-tosporites speciosus, see Burger, 1989).

RADIOMETRIC AGES

Radiometric age determinations have beencarried out on a score of Jurassic crystalline

and volcanic rocks, chiefly in eastern Aust-ralia. At present only a few of those data canbe linked with the spore-pollen record.

The Garrawilla Volcanic s inthe Surat Basin (N.S.W.) yielded K-Ar agesof 201.5-171.5 Ma (Dulhunty & McDougall,1966; Dulhunty, 1972). It is associated withUnit J1 of Evans (Loughnan & Evans, 1978)and with the Classopollis classoides zone ofReiser & Williams (Helby & Morgan, 1979).A basal Toarcian age suggested for thatpalynological interval (see above) lies withinthe error bar of the radiometric age.

The T o wallum Basalt , a thintholeiitic basalt in the Clarence-MoretonBasin, yielded an 40Ar-39Ar age of 187 ± 5Ma, and thus falls within the late Pliens-bachian-Toarcian. The basalt may be placedwithin the palynological interval includinglate Assemblage D/early Units J2-3 (Burger,1994a; Bradshaw & others, 1994). On bio-chronological considerations that interval isthought to be late Pliensbachian to earlyToarcian (McKellar, 1974; De Jersey, 1975).

EUSTASY

The marine Jurassic record of Australia isrestricted and fragmentary, and is bestdocumented from the North West Shelf. Themost complete Jurassic sedimentary sequencehas been mapped in northeastern Australia,but is nonmarine (Fig. 5). In spite of this, theinfluence of Jurassic eustatic sealevel move-ments has been detected in several Australiansedimentary basins, in the form of recurrentpresence and absence of marine fossils, andcyclic patterns of deposition. This evidenceis compared with global sea level movementsas have been proposed by Vail & Todd(1981) and Haq & others (1987).

Exon (1976), Exon & Burger (1981), andBurger (1986, 1989) outlined four successiveJurassic sedimentary cycles in the Eromangaand Surat Basins. Each cycle includes alower fluvial sandstone, deposited duringintervals of rapid drainage (braided streams)as the regional base level of erosion fell, andan upper lacustrine mudstone/siltstone inter-al, deposited when a rising base level oferosion resulted in sluggish drainage (mean-ering streams), with occasional formation of

21

coal and bentonite beds.Palynology proves cyclic deposition to

have been virtually synchronous in the twosubbasins, and it is likely to have originatedfrom global rather than local (tectonic orother) events. There is no known evidencefrom spores and pollen for periodic changesof climate (i.e. precipitation) to explain thecycles. Recurrent uplifts of the eastern Aust-ralian craton rim have also been suggested asa possible cause, but the application of thatmechanism meets with problems (Bradshaw& Yeung, 1992).

Exon and Burger suggested eustatic risesand falls of sea level to be the most probablecause of rising and falling erosion levels.They linked sedimentary cycles 1 and 2 withSinemurian-Bathonian sea level movements,which had been described by Vail & others(1977), and suggested a Callovian link forcycle 3 and an Oxfordian-Tithonian link forcycle 4; this cycle includes the oldest knownpresence in Australia of the inportant zonalindex spore genera Cicatricosisporites andRuffordiaspora. On more recent evidenceBurger dated cycle 4 as ICimmeridgian andTithonian (Burger, in press 1; in Young &Laurie, in press). Correlation of those cycleswith the sea level curve of Haq & others(1987) is shown in Figure 5.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The author is much indebted to colleagueswho offered valuable criticism on text andcharts of the Jurassic volume in the BMRRecord series on Australian PhanerozoicTimescales. Many kindly sent reprints ofrecent papers on relevant subjects, andseveral colleagues permitted unpublisheddata to be used (see Burger 1990a; in Young& Laurie, in press).

He would like to thank in particular: N.J.de Jersey (Greenbank, Qld), J.L. McKellar(Brisbane, Qld), J.M. Dicldns (Canberra,ACT), J.G. Douglas and A.D. Partridge(Melbourne, Vic); R.L. Armstrong (Van-couver, B.C., Canada), P.R. Bown (London,U.K.), J.E.T. Channell (Gainesville, Fla,U.S.A.), J.C.W. Cope (Cardiff, Wales, U.K.),

A. von Hillebrandt (Berlin, Germany), W.Lowrie (Zurich, Switzerland), J. Krishna(Varanasi, India), R. Mouterde (Lyon,France), G.S. Odin (Paris, France), J.G. Ogg(W. Lafayette, Ind., U.S.A.), LB. Riding andG. Warrington (Keyworth, England, U.K.),W.A.S. Sarjeant (Saskatoon, Sask., Canada),T. Sato (Tsukuba, Japan), J. Thierry (Dijon,France), and Yang Zunyi (Beijing, China).

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