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Late Permian palynozones and associated CA-IDTIMS dated tuffs from the Bowen Basin, Australia

Created 20/01/2026

Updated 20/01/2026

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As part of a continuing program to date Permian plant microfossil zones using CA-IDTIMS dating, 11 tuff and 18 sedimentary core samples were examined from the Bowen Basin succession intersected in APLNG Meeleebee 5, a CSG well spudded in the Surat Basin, Queensland. The Bowen Basin consists of terrestrial and marine sediments interspersed with numerous tuff layers and economic coal seams. Palynological strew-slides were examined using a light microscope to identify taxa. Quantitative analyses, with counts up to 100 specimens, were undertaken. Almost all the plant microfossil assemblages analysed from the Meeleebee 5 core belong to the Price (1997) APP5 spore-pollen zone, and one may belong to the younger APP6 zone. The APP5 index species, Dulhuntyispora parvithola was present throughout the section. The APP5005 index species Microreticulatisporites bitriangularis was also present in many samples and the Micrhystridium evansii acme event was readily identified. Triquitrites proratus, a species usually restricted to APP6, was identified near the top of the succession, although no other species typical of APP6 were found. When compared with CA-IDTIMS tuff ages, the Dulhuntyispora parvithola zone spans around five million years, almost extending to the Permian-Triassic boundary. Additionally, the Microreticulatisporites bitriangularis Subzone and Microstridium evansii event are both younger than previously estimated. By combining the results of the palynology and CA-IDTIMS dating, numeric ages are attached to palynostratigraphic units, aiding regional and global correlations of the palynofloras and economic coal-bearing sequences of the basin.

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Title Late Permian palynozones and associated CA-IDTIMS dated tuffs from the Bowen Basin, Australia
Language eng
Licence Not Specified
Landing Page https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/459e159c-916e-4a70-961a-4c449f2ea4db
Contact Point
Geoscience Australia Data
clientservices@ga.gov.au
Reference Period 07/04/2025
Geospatial Coverage
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
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Data Portal Data.gov.au