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Australia: The Land Where Time Began |
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A Tetrapod Fauna
of the Sydney Basin, Permian The first documented evidence of a tetrapod fauna
of Permian age in
Australia was the discovery in 1997 by Bruce Ross of Oceanic Coal
Australia Ltd in the roof of the Borehole Seam, West Wallsend Colliery.
The Borehole Seam (Newcastle Coal Measures, Lambton Subgroup) is
situated immediately above the Waratah Sandstone which forms the base of
the Newcastle Coal Measures and is believed to be most likely of
Kazanian age. It has been shown by preliminary study that of the 5
tetrapod specimens recovered at least temnospondyl amphibians are
represented. Previously, the only known tetrapod body fossil from the
Permian of Australia is a
temnospondyl amphibian,
Bothriceps major,
recovered from Airly to the northwest of Sydney. Trace fossils of
tetrapods have been known for some time in the southern part of the
Sydney Basin, several
sets of reptilian footprints
being found in the Illawarra Coal Measures. This indicates that in the
Late Permian there were tetrapods inhabiting areas to the north, south
and west of the Sydney Basin, Australia. Conclusions There are widespread body fossils of tetrapods in
the Sydney Basin from the Late Permian in the north and west and
trackways in the southeast, with amphibians and early amniotes being
represented, though with the exception of the temnospondyl from Airly
none of the material is further identifiable. This new material
recovered from the West Wallsend Colliery constitutes the second oldest
Permian vertebrate record from Australia.
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Author: M.H.Monroe Email: admin@austhrutime.com Sources & Further reading |