Southern end of Blanche Point (Eocene of Australia)

Also known as Blanche Harbor

Where: South Australia, Australia (32.7° S, 137.8° E: paleocoordinates 52.8° S, 131.9° E)

• coordinate estimated from map

When: P15 foram zone, Blanche Point Formation, Priabonian (38.0 - 33.9 Ma)

• At the top of the Banded Marl member of the Blanche Point Marls, about 40 feet above the Tortachilla Limestone. Banded Marl; upper Eocene; Gull Rock Member and the Tuketja Member

• group-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: deep subtidal ramp; lithified marl

• The most parsimonious palaeoenvironmental interpretation of these mixed terrigenous-carbonate and biosiliceous sediments is a relatively quiet seafloor setting, below wave base, occasionally disrupted by storm waves, as postulated by Daily et al. (1976). There is no modern analogue to these sediments in offshore southern Australia except in deep waters (>200 m deep) on the upper continental slope (James et al., 1992, 1994, 1997; Boreen et al., 1993). Such water depths are unlikely for Blanche Point deposition, given the lateral gradation of these sediments into nearshore, low-gradient paralic to strandline siliciclastics.

Size class: macrofossils

Primary reference: M. F. Glaessner. 1955. Pelagic fossils (Aturia, penguins, whales) from the Tertiary of South Australia. Records of the South Australia Museum 353-371 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen/M. Uhen]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 50361: authorized by Mark Uhen, entered by Mark Uhen on 13.05.2005

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names
Cephalopoda
 Nautilida - Aturiidae
Aturia clarkei
Aturia clarkei Teichert 1944 nautiloid
Aves
 Sphenisciformes -
Pachydyptes simpsoni n. sp.
Pachydyptes simpsoni n. sp. Jenkins 1974 penguin