Cenozoic stratigraphic succession in southeastern Australia

Abstract

Strata of Cenozolc age occur around the southern margin of Australia as thin and discontinuous outcrops, interpolated and fleshed out by economic exploration onshore and offshore. The neritic strata fall into four sequences or allostratigraphic packages of (I) Paleocene - Early Eocene, (II) Middle Eocene - Early Oligocene, (III) Late Oligocene - Middle Miocene, and (IV) Late Miocene - Holocene age: A four-part pattern that can be seen also in the flanking pelagic and terrestrial realms including regolith deep weathering. Problems of correlation and age determination (predominantly biostratigraphic) have included biogeographical constraints (endemism in neritic molluscs and terrestrial palyno..