Utilisation of microvertebrates in biostratigraphy and chemostratigraphy

Abstract

The utility of marine microvertebrate fossils for bio- and chemostratigraphy and subsequent correlation were tested on the exceptionally preserved Devonian reef complexes of the Canning Basin, Western Australia. Microvertebrates provided refined age ranges for restricted depositional environments unable to be dated using conodonts or ammonoids. In addition, the O-isotope signatures recovered from hypermineralised tissues within microvertebrate fossils enabled the reconstruction of palaeoenvironmental conditions, in addition to providing the basis for chemical stratigraphy.