we/7A COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA.
DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT.
BUREAU OF MINERAL RESOURCES GEOLOGY AND GEOPHYSICS. RECORDS:
19 64/76
015321
SOME PALYNOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS ON SAMPLES FROM THE NORTH-EASTERN EROMANGA BASIN, CENTRAL QUEENSLAND. by P.R. Evans
The information contained in this report has been obtained by the Department of National Development, as part of the policy of the Commonwealth Government, to assist in the exploration and development of mineral resources. It may not be published in any form or used in a company prospectus without the permission in writing of the Director, Bureau of Mineral Resources, Geology and Geophysics.
SOME PALYNOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS ON SAMPLES FROM THE NORTH-EASTERN_ ERCUANGA BASIN, CENTRAL QUEENSI1ND. by P.R. Evans Records 1964/76
CONTENTS Page SUMMARY^
1
INTRODUCTION
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^ 2 OBSERVATIONS AND COMMENTS ^ 2 A. GALAH GORGE ^ 4 B. WHITECLIFF NO.2 BORE, Reg.No.15415 ^ 4 C. MICKEY SPRING ^ 5 D. FLINDERS GORGE, BLANTYRE STATION ^ 5 E. GLENALVON BORE Reg,No. 15530 ^ 10 REFERENCES Figure 1: Sample locations: Hughenden area. Figure 2: Eslated Mesozoic sections in the Glenalvon and Corfield Town Bores, Eromanga Basin.
information contained in this report has been obtained by the Department of National Development, as part of the policy of the Commonwealth Government, to assist in the exploration and development of mineral reso 6rce';, It may not be published in any form or used in company prospectus without the permission in ^ of the Director, Bureau of Mineral Resources, Geology and Geophysics. -
SOME PALYNOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS ON SAMPLES FROM THE NORTH-EASTERN EROMANGA BASIN I CENTRAL QUEENSLAND. by P.R. Evans Records 1964/76
SUMMARY Spores and microplankton have been obtained from outcrop samples from the Permian Boonderoo Beds and Betts Creek Beds, and Jurassic Blantyre Sandstone ,ditch samples of the Warang Sandstone in Whitecliff No.2 Bore, Reg. No. 15415, and ditch samples from the Glenalvon Bore, Reg. No. 15530, on the Hughenden and Richmond 1:250,000 Sheet areas, in the north-eastern Eromanga Basin, Queensland.^The Boonderoo Beds and Betts Creek Beds are respectively correlated with the Joe Joe Formation and the upper Bandanna Formation of the Springsure area, The Warang Sandstone is Triassic, probably Lower Triassic in age, and the Blantyre Sandstone is probably of Upper Jurassic age. A Jurassic-Cretaceous sequence including a Jurassic acritarch horizon, is present in the Glenalvon Bore, directly comparable with that in the Corfield Town Bore.
INTRODUCTION During the 1963 season of the B,M.R. north-eastern Eromanga Basin regional mapping programme, R.R. Vine collected outcrop samples from the Hughenden 1:250,000 Sheet area for palynological examination. He also arranged for samples to be collected from the Whitecliff No.2 Bore, Reg. No. 15415, and the Glenalvon Station Bore, Reg. No. 15530, for similar study. Although few in number, these samples have considerable bearing on subsurface geological problems already encountered in the Eromanga Basin. The purpose of this report is to record preliminary observations on the samples and comment on their relation to existing problems.^The material will be treated fully at a later date in separate discussions of the problems concerned. -
The location of samples taken from the Hughenden area are plotted in figure 1. ^Vine et al.(1964) mapped the following sequence in the area. Cretaceous^Wilgunya Formation^600 feet Gilbert River Formation^2- 38 feet Jurassic-(?)Cretaceous Blantyre Sandstone ^125-400 feet Triassic Permian
^
Warang Sandstone^0-724+ feet Betts Creek Beds^0-1350 feet
Boonderoo Beds^700+^feet
2. Unconformities or disconformities appear to separate each of these units below the Gilbert River Formation. The entire pre—Cretaceous sequence is considerably reduced in thickness in comparison to its correlates in more central parts of the Eromanga Basin and in the Bowen—Surat Basin. The Whitecliff No.2 Bore, Reg.No. 15415, was drilled near the road between the Cliffs and Spider Creek Tanks, west of Galah or Porcupine Creek. The Glenalvon Station Bore, Reg. No. 15530, was located at Lat. 20 58'S., Long. 143 15'E. at the southern end of the Richmond 1:250,000 Sheet area. Vine (pers.comm.) considered that sandstones and red shales penetrated by this bore below 2000 feet might represent the Triassic Warang Sandstone and that the coarse sandstone below 2365 feet might be Permian.^The well is located about 50 miles north—north—west of the Corfield Town Bore (=Magellan Corfield No.1) where the presence of Triassic deposits in the Eromanga Basin was first suspected (Evans, 1962b).
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OBSERVATIONS AND COMMENTS
A. GALAH GORGE GAB 10 34P. t 4ontorted carbonaceous shale in tillite near the base of/measured section of the Boonderoo Beds. ^White (1964) recorded glossopterid fragments from the same horizon.
Spores are present in this sample, mixed with a major proportion of fragmented plant debris which makes it difficult to see which species are present.^Punctatisporites sp., Conbaculatis Forites sp. 2 Vesicaspora sp., and Nuskoisporites triangularis (Mehta) were recognizable.^This assemblage appears to belong to Unit Plc (Evans, 1964) of Lower Permian age. -
GAB 1034S. Varved mudstone, Boonderoo Beds. 440 feet stratigraphically higher than GAB 1034P.
The yield from this sample was abundant and well preserved. Species recognized included: Leiotriletes directus Balme & Hennelly Calamospora diversiformis B. & H. Granulatisporites micronodosus B. & H. Nuskoisporites triangularis (Mehta) Punctatisporites gretensis B. & H. Punctatisporites sp. Apiculatisporis sp. Conbaculatisporites sp. GinlAycadophytus spp. Vesicaspora sp. Quadrisporites cf. Q. horridus Hennelly.
GAB 1034T. Varved mudstones, Boonderoo Beds, 520 feet from the base of the section. -
(.96
Barren.^
A. P
Assemblages akin to that in(GAB 1034S occur in Maranda No.1, c.15, 4450 feet, and.-in Exoil Brookwood No.1, c. 12, 4437 feet(about 150 miles)e the south and southwest of Galah Gorge respectively). They are referred to Unit Plc of early Lower Permian age (Evans, 1964).^Somewhat older horizons than GAB 1034S, referred to Unit Pla, were recognized in the Joe Joe Formation in the region of the Fairview Anticline, Springsure area (Evans, 1964), but it is likely that correlates of GAB 10345 can be found in higher, as yet unsampled levels of the Joe Joe Formation. Both the Boonderoo Beds and the Joe Joe Formations appear to have lacustrine or glacial origins. -
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The presence of Unit Plc spore assemblages suggests that the Glossopterid horizon at GAB 1034P is one of the earliest known occurrences of this flora in Queensland, GAB 1073A. Carbonaceous shale with Glossopteris in Betts Creek Beds, about 50 feet above the base of the formation.
A relatively abundant, but rather oxidized assemblage of spores was obtained from this sample. Recognizable forms included: Leiotriletes directus Balme & Hennelly Marsupipollenites triradiatus striatus B. & H. M. sinucEus B. & H. Chomotriletes sp. (aff.Circulisporites parvus de Jersey) Laevigatosporites cf. L. vulgaris B. & H. Striatiti spp. (lim idus, cancellatus, and amplus types) very common). This assemblage of common striate pollens with occasional Laevigatosporites, and a general absence of acanthine pteridophyte spores closely resembles the Upper Permian assemblages of Magellan Corfield No.1 (Evans, 1962b). ^The Corfield Permian differs in that it includes rare Acanthotriletes spp. and some non—striate disaccate pollens. GAB 1074. Silts-tone interbed near the base of the Warang Sandstone,
Barren. GAB 1089. Silts-tone interbed in Warang Sandstone.
Barren.
4. The Galah Gorge sequence of Boonderoo Beds and Betts Creek Beds with the intervening unconformity and the disparity of age between the formations, compares with two—fold divisions of the Permo—Carboniferous in the Eromanga Basin evident from studies and comparisons of the Corfield, Brookwood, Maranda, Alice River, and Birkhead wells (Evans, in Pemberton 1963; Evans, 1964).^Deposition of the lower, fluvioglacial unit (Boonderoo Beds, Joe Joe Formation) commenced in the late Upper Carboniferous and continued until within Sakmarian times. The upper unit (Betts Creek Beds) of sandstones with coal seams correlates with the Upper Permian upper Bandanna Formation of the Springsure area.^The Betts Creek Beds seem to represent the most northerly development of an overlapping , transgressive phase which commenced with the Colinlea Sandstone on the Springsure Shelf. B. WHITECLIFF No. 2 BORE, Reg. No, 15415. This bore has not been lithologically logged in detail, but R.R. Vine (pers.comm.) considers that it entered the Warang Sandstone. Two samples from this formation were examined for spores.^The lower, at 760 feet, was barren. The upper, at 690 feet yielded moderately abundant', well preserved spores, including:
Leiotriletes cf. L. directus Balme & Hennelly Thymospora sp. cf. T. ipsviciensis de Jersey aff, Trizonaesporites sp. Striatiti sp. Alisporites spp. (pteruchid types) (common) Ginka!yoadophytus sp. This is a Triassic assemblage, but there are not sufficient species present to firmly indicate what part of the Triassic is represented. ^The saccate aff. Trizonaesporites sp. and Striatiti sp. (shape similar to Pityosporites reticulatus Hennelly, but the body is striate) imply a Lower Triassic age, but forms of Taeniaesporites which normally are present in samples of this period could ^be found, C, MICKEY SPRING
GAB 1076. Mudstone near the top of the Blantyre Sandstone. Barren.
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D. FLINDERS GORGE, BLANTYRE STATION GAB 1045. Grey shale in the Blantyre Sandstone. Spores are abundant; no microplankton were observed.^The yield inclu4ed: Cythidites australis Couper (common) Leiotriletes sp. (common) Baculatisporites comaumensis Cookson (fairly common) Baculatisporites sp, Coronatispora perforata Dettmann Coranatispora telata (Balme) Coronatispora sp. Ischyosporites sp. Contignisporites cooksonii (Balme) Lycopodiumsporites spp. Perinotriliti sp. Discisporitessp. Disaccites spp. undiff. ^(fairly common) Araucariacites australis Cookson Tsugaepollenites dammieri (BaIme) Laricoidites reidi de Jersey Laricoidites turbatus (Balme) Gin19gcycadophytus sp. Microcachryidites sp. This assemblage is Jurassic in age, probably no older than the Western Australian Callovian where Contignisporites cooksonii first appears (Balme, 1957). The remainder of the assemblage has been found in both Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous strata, but the apparently complete lack of about half—a—dozen key basal Cretaceous species implies a Jurassic, rather than a Cretaceous age.
E. GLENALVON BORE Reg. No. 15530. Particular care was taken by the driller to collect and label samples, and casing was driven behind the bit so thE3t relatively little contamination of samples will have occurred. However, only relatively few samples from this bore were suitable for examination. No record of the Cretaceous microfloras above 1200 feet has yet been made.
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Cuttings 1200-10 feet Spores and Pollens Cyathidites australis Couper C. australis rimalis Balms Baculatisporites comaumensis Cookson Ceratosporites aequalis Cookson & Dettmann Acanthotriletes sp. Neoraistrickia truncatus (Cookson) Foveosporites canalis Balme Foveosporites sp. Stereisporites antiquasporites (Wilson & Webster) Cingutriletes clavus (Balme) Cicatricosisporites australiensis Cookson & Dettmann Contignisporites glebulentus Dettmann Trilobosporites purverulentis Dettmann Microreticulatisporites pud ens Balme Microreticulatisporites sp. Gleicheniidites cercinidites Cookson Lycopodiumsporites circolumenus C. & D. Lycopodiumsporites spp, Murornati gen. et spp. indet. Ischyosporites punctatus Balme Dictyotosporites speciosus C. & D. Perotrilites sp.^. Taurucosporites sp. Perinomonoliti sp. Disac'cites spp. undiff. Auraucariacites australis Cookson Ginlayeadophytus spp. Classopollis sp. Microplankton Chlamydophorella nyei Cookson & Eisenack Dingodinium cerviculum C.& E. Canningia sp. Muderongia tetracantha (C. & E.) aff. Cannosphaeropsis sp. Baltisphaeridium spp. Micrhystridium spp. Pareodinia sp. Peridinians gen. et spp. indet.
The presence of D. ceriviculum and certain of the Micrhystridium spp, indicates that this sample represents the Dingodinium cerviculum Zone (Evans, in Vine & Jauncey, 1962) and the "speciosus assemblage" of Dettmann (1964).^The combination of these units characterizes the Doncaster Member of the Wilgunya Formation of the Eromanga Basin and the Roma Formation of the Surat Basin. Cuttings 1340-50 feet Cyathidites australis Couper Leiotriletes sp. Gleicheniidites cercinidites (Cookson) Concavisporites juriensis Balme Baculatisporites comaumensis (Cookson) Ceratosporites equalis C. & D. Lycopodiumsporites sp. IschyospDrites sp. Cicatricosisporites ludbrooki Dettmann Contignisporites cooksonii (Balme) Contignisporites multimuratus Dettmann Contignisporites sp. Rugulatisporites sp. Annulispora sp. Perinottilites sp, Schizosporis sp. Disaccites spp. undiff. Vitreisporites pallidus (Reissinger) Laricoidites reidi de Jersey Inapertisporites sp.
With C. ludbrooki, this sample is probably no older than the "styldgmassemblage" of Dettmann (1964).^Specimens referable to C. ludbrooki are known from the Upper Jurassic (younger than Kimeridgian) of Western Australia (Evans, in Henderson et al. 1963). ^The sample is to be correlated with upper horizons of the Blythesdale Group in the Surat Basin. Cuttings 1690-1700 feet Spores and Pollens Cyathidites australis Couper Leiotriletes sp. Baculatisporites sp. Apiculati spp. Contignisporites cooksonii (Balme) Contignisporites sp. Ischyosporites sp.
Lycopodiumsporites rosewoodensis de Jersey Murospora sp. Perinotriliti sp. Vitreisporites pallidus (Reissinger) Disaccites app. undif. Tsugaepollenites dampieri (Balme) Tsugaepollenites segmentatus (Balme) "Sporites" cicatricosus Rogalska Laricoidites reidi de Jersey Laricoidites turbatus (Balme) GinX44cadophytus sp. Microplankton Micrhystridium app. Assuming that no cavings were incorporated in the sample; the presence of C. cooksonii implies that this sample is no older than the Western Australian Callovian (Middle Jurassic) (Balme, 1957).^The sample is unlikely to be older than the top of the Walloon Coal Measures of the Surat Basin. It is perhaps a little older than GAB 1045 from the Blantyre Sandstone.^The presence of Micrhystridium spp. is of particular interest as Jurassic acritarchs (=hystrichospheres sensu lato) of the Micrhystridium type were previously found in the 1..omanga Basin at a depth of 2892 feet in Corfield No.1 and at 2625 feet in Brookwood No.l. ^Evans (in Pemberton, 1963) thought that these horizons may indicate a particular brackish or even marine development in late Middle or early Upper Jurassic times. The extent and relative stratigraphical position of these acritarch localities, and whether they represent one or more brackish or marine episodes are not yet clear. As the Corfield and Brookwood acritarchs appear to be a little older than those at Glenalvon, it appears that these conditions prevailed for a period of time, unlike the brief acritarch occurrence in the Nathan Oolite Member of the Evergreen Shale in the Surat Basin (Evans, 1962b) (Jensen et al., 7.964).^However, unlike the occurrences in the Evergreen Shale, there is insufficient documentation of the problematic interval in the Eromanga Basin for any deductions of its character to be reliable. The areal extent of the acritarch horizon is limited to the west of Brookwood by the A.A.O. Penrith No.1 Well, in which 0.9 1 3545-55 feet, contained an assemblage very similar to the Glenalvon sample, but which apparently lacked acritarchs. 1
Cuttings 1860-70 feet Cyathidites australis Couper Leiotriletes sp. Baculatisporites comaumensis (Cookson) Gleicheniidites sp. Concavisporites sp. "Sporites" cicatricosus Rogalska Ischyosporites marburgensis de Jersey
5).
Lycopodiumsporites sp. Perinotriliti sp. ?Coronatispora sp. Disaccites spp. undiff. Tsugaepollenites segmentatus (Balme) Tsugaepollenites dampieri (Balme) Laricoidites reidi de Jersey Laricoidites turbatus (Balme) Classopollis sp. (rare) This assemblage differs in content and preservation from the 1690 feet assemblage. The relative abundance of L. reidi, L. turbatus and the presence of I. marburgensis suggest that the sample is as old as the Haton Sandstone of the Surat Basin. —
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Cuttings 2000-10 feet The yield from this sample was low, but the following were recognized: Leiotriletes sp. Discisporites sp. Disaccites spp. undiff. Tsugaepollenites segmentatus (Balme) Classopollis sp. (common).
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The abundance of Classopollis and the presence of T. segmentatus (if not from cavings) suggests that this sample is to be correlated with "Zone 3" in either the lower Hutton Sandstone or the Evergreen Shale, above the Oolite Member, of the Surat Basin. The samples from 1860 and 2000 feet are both to be compared in sequence of spore assemblage with the Lower — Middle Jurassic unit identified in Corfield No.1 (Evans, 1982b). No samples from lower in the Glenalvon Bore were examined for spore content as they were either of red sandstones, shales or siltstones or coarse, sandstone which had crumbled during drilling and leached of any spore bearing matrix. A graphic log of the Glenalvon Bore, showing the sampled horizons and their possible relation to Corfield No.1 is presented in figure 2. ^The areal extent of the ?Triassic and Jurassic units penetrated by these bores must be considerable as they are identified in every deep well as far south as S.P.L. No.1 (Birkhead). ^However, each unit is considerably reduced in thickness when compared with its correlate in the Surat Basin, and several diastems must be represented within the sequence. Detailed palynological studies, particularly of the Jurassic, are necessary to identify these breaks.
1 0.
REFERENCES DETTMANN, M.E.,1964 - Upper Mesozoic microfloras from southeastern Australia. Proc. Roy, Soc. Vic. 77 (1), 1 - 148. EVANS, P.R.,^1962a- Microfossils associated with the "Bundamba Group" of the Surat Basin, Queensland. Bur.Min,Resour.Aust.Rec., 1962 /115 (unpubl.). EVANS, P.R.,^1962b- The stratigraphy of Magellan Corfield No.1 Bore, Great Artesian Basin, Queensland. Ibid. 1962/174 (unpubl.). EVANS, P.R.,^1964 - The distribution of some Carboniferous and Permian microfloras in Central Queensland. Ibid. 1964/ (in prep.). HENDERSON, S.D., CONDON, M.A., and BASTIAN, L.V., 1963 Stratigraphic drilling, Canning Balain, Western Australia. Bur.Min.Resour.Aust. Ea. 60. -
JENSEN, A.R., GREGORY, C.M.AFORBES, V.R.; - 1964 - The geology of the Taroam 1:250,000 Sheet area and of the western part of the Munduberra 1:250,000 Sheet area, Queensland. Bur.Min. Resour.Aust.Rec. 1964/61 (unpubl.), PEMBERTON; R.L.;1963- Well completion report Exoil Brookwood No.1 well (unpubl.). VINE, R.R., and JAUNCEY, W., 1962 - Explanatory notes, Julia Creek Sheet, Queensland. Bur.Min,Resour. Aust.Rec. 1962/81 (unpubl.). VINE, R.R.
1
CASEY, D.J., JOHNSON, N.E.A., 1964 - Progress report 1963, on the geology of part of the north Eromanga Basin,, Queensland. Bur.Min.Resour. Aust.Rec. 1964/39 (unpubl.).
WHITE, M.E., ^1964 - 1963 plant fossil collections from Hughenden, Great Artesian Basin, Bur.Min.Resour,Aust.Rec. 1964/(in prep.).
)
Figure
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SAMPLE
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EeQla Hawk
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___ Kalleroo
Strot~Qla6S
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Wet.rlao Hut -/-
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Burt/au of Mintlral Rtlsources, GtlolOfJY and Geophysics.
Jun~ f964
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Figure 2
RELATED MESOZOIC SECTIONS IN THE GLENALVON AND CORFIELD TOWN BORES, EROMANGA BASIN GLENALVON STATION BORE^
CORFIELD TOWN BORE
Reg. No. 15530^
(:Magellan Corfield No.)) 50 m. appr.
^7/.•
7 0 -0 ■_
0^- 1-
marine
1717 .-
Lower Cretaceous
7 0,
co E
o o E — —
-
c = — 0 a o cc -_-_
----_-_- -11200 -10' '215' - 7.7
2575
Upper Jurassic or Lower Cretaceous
-I 1340 -50' •••••••••::
2630-40 .
••-•'•-•' .....
-I 1690 -1700 ^ acritarch^occurrences
.4 1 8
4
-
•: •: •: •: :
Lower - Middle Jurassic
6 0 - 70
(1) 2892- 2902'
2000- 10'
"Zone 3" "Zone 2"
•••••
'.
356d-
^ TD 2503'
0 in 1:3 0
Triassic
•'.
•
(2)3389 - 99'
^7 .7-
3580-85'
:•:• :•:•:
:-:•:•:.:
(3)3930 - 40'
•
REFERENCE
4095 -100' 4100 - 05'
41011
Vertical scale I": 500'
^P.ermian^c)013 Sandstone 1Dco co
1======1
^ (4)4262
-
76'
-
Si//stone or Shale
-(4) Core
pre-Permian 4488' ^Granite^TD 4507 }Sompie
I^I Calcareous
Carbonaceous
-4
Cuttings
Coo/ seam Muds tone Bureau of Mineral Resources, Geology and Geophysics.^June 1964 To accompany Record No /964/76
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