Journal article
Biostratigraphy and macroinvertebrate palaeontology of the petroleum-rich Belfast Mudstone (Sherbrook Group, uppermost Turonian to mid-Santonian), Otway Basin, southeastern Australia
JD Stilwell, SJ Gallagher
Cretaceous Research | ACADEMIC PRESS LTD- ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD | Published : 2009
Abstract
The hydrocarbon-rich Turonian to Santonian Belfast Mudstone (Sherbrook Group) of the Otway Basin, southern Victoria, Australia, represents transgressive lower delta plain to prodelta conditions in inner to middle shelf depths to slope environments. Comprising relatively homogeneous mudstone that thickens to more than 1 km in the offshore Otway Basin, the biostratigraphic resolution has been enhanced by study here of both macro- and microfossil assemblages. Macrofossils consist of 12 species of bivalves from a relatively low diversity of genera (Nucula s.l., Nuculana, Mesosaccella, Pinna?, Tethyoceramus, Oistotrigonia), gastropods (Cerithioidea, Latiala, Ringiculidae), cephalopods (Eutrephoce..
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Funding Acknowledgements
We wish to thank the following individuals for their assistance and support throughout the course of this investigation: H. Klinger, Iziko Museum, Cape Town, South Africa; S. Morton and D. Gelt, Monash University; R. Schmidt, Museum Victoria; J. Crampton, GNS Science, Lower Hutt, New Zealand; D. Nichols, Editor, Cretaceous Research; and an anonymous reviewer. This research was supported by a Monash University Research fund grant to J.D.S and Australian Research Council grant to S.J.G.