Cretaceous faunas and events, northern Eromanga Basin, Queensland

Abstract

The stratigraphy, sedimentary history and paleontology of the northern Eromanga Basin are reviewed in the light of extensive field effort, searching for Cretaceous vertebrate fossils, in particular dinosaurs. Prolonged non-marine deposition throughout the Jurassic was followed by Lower Cretaceous marine incursions which extended to the late Albian. Whilst biostratigraphy is underpinned by microfloral assemblages there are three distinct marine faunas preserved from the late Aptian, early middle Albian and late Albian. Effective regression caused by sediment oversupply in the latest Albian heralded the final phase of non-marine deposition in the Eromanga Basin which continued into the Cenomanian. A distinct floral assemblage is accompanied by a modest fossil vertebrate assemblage.