Oldest Cretaceous Sequence, Giralia Anticline, Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia: Late Hauterivian-Barremian
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University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Department Papers in the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences of 1995 Oldest Cretaceous sequence, Giralia Anticline, Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia: late Hauterivian-Barremian S. McLoughlin University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA D. W. Haig University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA J. Backhouse Geological Survey of Western Australia Mary Anne Holmes University of Nebraska-Lincoln, [email protected] G. Ellis Switzerland See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/geosciencefacpub Part of the Earth Sciences Commons McLoughlin, S.; Haig, D. W.; Backhouse, J.; Holmes, Mary Anne; Ellis, G.; Long, J. A.; and McNamara, K. J., "Oldest Cretaceous sequence, Giralia Anticline, Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia: late Hauterivian- Barremian" (1995). Papers in the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. 81. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/geosciencefacpub/81 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Papers in the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Authors S. McLoughlin, D. W. Haig, J. Backhouse, Mary Anne Holmes, G. Ellis, J. A. Long, and K. J. McNamara This article is available at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/ geosciencefacpub/81 AGSO Journal of Australian Geology & Geophysics, 15(4), 445-468 © Commonwealth of Australia 1995 Oldest Cretaceous sequence, Giralia Anticline, Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia: late Hauterivian-Barremian S. Mcl.oughlin'>, D. W. Haigl, J. Backhouse-, M. A. Holmes", G. Ellis4, J. A. Long> & K. J. McNamara> Outcrop of the oldest Cretaceous sequence in the Giralia present at this level. A growth-ring analysis of the wood suggests Anticline and the Giralia No. 1 well, penetrating the same that-sa seasonal humid mesothermal climate prevailed in the sequence, are described and biostratigraphically assessed in detail. region. Changes in sediment composition, palynomorph assem The Cretaceous rocks lie on an erosion surface cut into Permian blages, and foraminiferal biofacies reflect retrogradation of marine strata. A 10 m thick basal sand unit, the Birdrong Sandstone, is facies during deposition of the Birdrong Sandstone and lowermost overlain by 56 m of carbonaceous siltstone-mudstone (Muderong Muderong Shale, followed by aggradation through most of the Shale). The Birdrong Sandstone in the anticline belongs to the Muderong Shale with maximum water depths less than 50 m. Muderongia australis Zone of late Hauterivian-Barremian age, Within the sequence, the Birdrong Sandstone and the lowermost as does the lower part of the Muderong Shale. The age of the Muderong Shale represent a transgressive systems tract, whereas upper Muderong Shale is uncertain, as is the age of a 10 m most of the Muderong Shale belongs to a highstand systems thick sandstone unit (probable Windalia Sand Member) which tract. The sequence reflects a transgressive pulse that was part separates the Muderong Shale from the late Aptian Windalia of the progressive submergence of vast areas of the Australian Radiolarite. Abundant fossil conifer wood, much of it with continent during the Early Cretaceous. This late Hauterivian Teredolites borings, is present in outcrop referred to the upper Barremian transgressive pulse is recognised in widely separated part of the Birdrong Sandstone. Scattered ichthyosauran bones, basins and may represent a synchronous continent-wide sea-level probable plesiosauran remains, and rare ammonites also are rise. Introduction proceeding from the late Valanginian on the North West Shelf (northern Barrow Sub-basin and central Dampier The Giralia Anticline forms a prominent feature on the Sub-basin) to approximately Barremian (in terms of Helby Western Australian landscape south of Exmouth Gulf, extending along a north-south axis for over 100 km (Fig. 1; Condon et al. 1956; van de Graaff et al. 1980; Hocking et al. 1985). The structure, folded during the Neogene, exposes a stratigraphic record through about 50 Ma of Cretaceous time, from the late Hauterivian to 20' S the Maastrichtian (Fig. 2). The sediments accumulated on a broad continental shelf adjacent to the newly formed passive western continental margin and reflect marine Barrow events that are recognised over wide areas of the Australian Sub-basin continent. This paper describes the oldest Cretaceous sequence found in the anticline and a major marine flooding episode coincident with the marine inundation Exmouth of vast areas elsewhere on the continent. Sub-basin The oldest sequence in the Cretaceous of the Giralia Anticline lies unconformably above Permian strata of the Byro Group (Johnstone 1955) and includes a basal sandstone unit (transgressive systems tract) and an over INDIAN OCEAN lying shale formation (mainly highstand systems tract). Johnstone (1955) identified this stratigraphic succession as the Birdrong Sandstone overlain by the Muderong 24' Shale. The Windalia Radiolarite, overlying the Muderong Shale, represents a distinct depositional sequence of late Aptian to early Albian age (Ellis 1993). The transition within the Winning Group from shoreface sand to marine shale has been shown to be diachronous across the northern Carnarvon Basin (Wiseman 1979), Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA 6009. 2 Geological Survey of Western Australia, 100 Plain Street, East Perth, WA 6004. PRECAMBRIAN 3 Department of Geology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, BASEMENT Nebraska, 68588-0340, USA. ____.100 4 Institut de Geologie et Paleontologie, Universite de Lausanne, o CH-1014 Lausanne, Switzerland. KILOMETRES 5 Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Western Australian Museum, Francis Street, Perth, WA 6000. Figure 1. Carnarvon Basin, showing the extent of the Giralia 6 Present address: School of Botany, University of Melbourne, Anticline, the location of Giralia No.1, and the outcrop area Parkville, Victoria, 3052. (shown in detail on Fig. 6). 446 S. McLOUGHLIN ET AL. The post-Valanginian onlap of marine shales onto the Miria Formation continental platform presumably took place in a series Maastrichtian ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ j~ j~ j~ j~ j~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ j~ ~ ~ ~ ~ j~ ~ ~ ~ ~ j~ ~ ~ j of cycles reflecting changes in sediment-accommodation space, and resulted from a balance between eustatic sea-level changes, local tectonism, and the rate of sediment Korojon Calcarenite accumulation. The marine inundation of the continental platform in the Giralia Anticline region is reflected by the sequence described in this paper. The oldest marine ... :.:.: ....:::.:-,:: ....:........................................................... Campanian . units were previously known only from the few wells drilled in the anticline. During this study, we found Too10 nga CalciIutite outcrop in the central part of the anticline which we Santon ian :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;;;!iliiiiliiliilil believe represents part of the oldest sequence, and we ? ? re-examined core material from the nearby WAPET Giralia Coniaci an No.1 petroleum exploration well (Lat. 22°59'35/1S, Long. Beedag on9 Claystone 114°14'20//E). To determine if the cycle we recognise is Turonian reflected elsewhere on the Australian continent: (1) the unit in the central Giralia Anticline has been Iithostrati graphically and biostratigraphically assessed in detail; (2) Cenoman ian the bathymetry and regional climate have been interpreted 1,11,:'ll!lli!I!llllllilil:l;l'lil'illllllllllllllll~111111111111111111111111111111 from a variety of sedimentological and palaeontological 2ill? iimii!m!m!!!!iiii!m!!!!!!!mii!!!!iiii!!!m ? lilililiill criteria; and (3) comparisons have been made with coeval stratigraphic units elsewhere on the Australian continent. Gearl e SiItstone AIbian Stratigraphic setting :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: The Cretaceous stratigraphy of the Giralia Anticline was outlined by Condon et al. (1956) and revised during later Windalia Radiolarite field mapping (van de Graaff et al. 1980; Hocking et al. 1985) and in the micropalaeontological study of Shafik Aptian (1990). The Cretaceous lithostratigraphic units are shown on Figure 2. Hocking (1988, 1990) grouped the Creta 1IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIillllll111illllllllllllllllllllllllllllil111111111111 ceous formations into the following 'depositional se illJ'?" ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 1~ 1~ 111 ~ 11 ~ 1~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ [1" 'llW quences': the mainly siliciclastic Mz4b 'Sequence' Barrem ian . Muderong Shale . comprises the Birdrong Sandstone, Muderong Shale, . Windalia Radiolarite, and Gearle Siltstone (incorporating Birdrong Sandstone the Beedagong Claystone represented on Fig. 2); and the late Hauterivian mainly carbonate Mz5 'Sequence' comprises the Toolonga Calcilutite, Korojon Calcarenite, and Miria Formation. Each of these 'sequences' represents a tectonic stage in 111,!'"!!iiiilllll!I",,llli';!;'!!!'!!'!iiiillll!!!! 11!;:il;!I:!II!I!I!III!!!II!!!!I!!!!'!!!!!!,!,!,,;,,;111Ililll!lllllilllllllllll,ll! basin development of an order roughly