Reconstructing ancient environments from detailed stratigraphic distributions of dinoflagellate cysts: providing a palaeobathymetric and related sequence framework for the Valanginian to Aptian of the northwestern Australian margin

Abstract

The environmental effects upon the lateral distribution of Early Cretaceous microplankton assemblages and the differentiation of shallow and deeper-water assemblages have not been studied extensively in the Australian region (Helby et al., 1987). For this study, Valanginian to Early Aptian assemblages from the Carnarvon Basin and adjacent oceanic areas were investigated to clarify the nature of environmental controls ? particularly bathymetry ? on species distribution.