Walloon Coal Measures

Walloon Coal Measures
Stratigraphic range: Oxfordian-early Tithonian ~166–149  Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Type	Subgroup
Unit of	Injune Creek Group
Sub-units	Juandah Coal Measures, Maclean Sandstone Member, Tangalooma Sandstone, Taroom Coal Measures, Mutdapilly fossil locality
Underlies	Springbok Sandstone
Overlies	Hutton Sandstone, Eurombah Formation
Thickness	420–700 m (1,380–2,300 ft)
Lithology
Primary	Shale, sandstone, siltstone
Other	Coal, limestone
Location
Coordinates	27°00′S152°36′E / 27.0°S 152.6°E / -27.0; 152.6
Approximate paleocoordinates	67°12′S93°18′E / 67.2°S 93.3°E / -67.2; 93.3
Region	Queensland
Country	Australia
Extent	Surat & Clarence-Moreton Basins
Type section
Named for	Walloon
Named by	Dudgeon
Year defined	1982
Walloon Coal Measures (Australia)

The Walloon Coal Measures are a Late Jurassic geologic subgroup in Queensland, Australia. Deposited within the Surat Basin, it is considered Oxfordian to early Tithonian in age based on lead-uranium dating of tuffites within the unit. ^[1]

Description

The 420 to 700 metres (1,380 to 2,300 ft) thick formation comprises thin-bedded, claystones, shales, siltstones, lithic and sublithic to feldspathic arenites, coal seams and partings and minor limestone. The formation is laterally equivalent to the Mulgildie Coal Measures and Birkhead Formation. ^[2]

Fossil content

The formation, in the Jurassic in the South Polar region, has provided fossil flora and trace fossils of theropods, ornithopods and Changpeipus bartholomaii and Garbina roeorum . ^{[3] [4]} The dinosaur Rhoetosaurus is known from the unit. ^[1] 11 tracks are known from the formation, mostly those of large (prints 30-75 centimetres in length) theropods. ^[5]

References

1. Todd, Christopher N.; Roberts, Eric M.; Knutsen, Espen M.; Rozefelds, Andrew C.; Huang, Hui-Qing; Spandler, Carl (December 2019). "Refined age and geological context of two of Australia's most important Jurassic vertebrate taxa (Rhoetosaurus brownei and Siderops kehli), Queensland". Gondwana Research. 76: 19–25. Bibcode:2019GondR..76...19T. doi:10.1016/j.gr.2019.05.008. S2CID   199105458.
2. Walloon Coal Measures - Australian Stratigraphic Units Database
3. Westvale No. 5 Colliery at Fossilworks.org
4. Balgowan Colliery, Darling Downs at Fossilworks.org
5. Romilio, Anthony; Salisbury, Steven W.; Jannel, Andréas (2020-06-12). "Footprints of large theropod dinosaurs in the Middle–UpperJurassic (lower Callovian–lower Tithonian) Walloon Coal Measures of southern Queensland, Australia" . Historical Biology. 33 (10): 2135–2146. doi:10.1080/08912963.2020.1772252. ISSN   0891-2963. S2CID   225692077.

Further reading

• L. C. Ball. 1933. Fossil footprints. Queensland Government Mining Journal 34(403):384
• A. Bartholomai. 1966. Fossil footprints in Queensland. Australian Natural History 15:147-150
• J. B. Cameron. 1970. The Rosewood-Walloon coalfield. Geological Survey of Queensland Publication 344:1-42
• Dudgeon, M.J., 1982, Stratigraphy and palaeobotany of east and west Haldon, Main Range, southeast Queensland., University of Queensland Department of Geology. Papers, 10(2), p83-110
• Green, P.M., Carmichael, D.C., Brain, T.J., Murray, C.G., McKellar, J.L., Beeston, J.W., Gray, A.R.G., 1997, Lithostratigraphic units in the Bowen and Surat Basins, Queensland IN: Green, P.M. (ed.) "The Surat and Bowen Basins, south-east Queensland", Queensland Minerals and Energy Review Series, Queensland Geological Survey, 1v, p41-108
• T. H. Rich and P. Vickers-Rich. 2003. A Century of Australian Dinosaurs. Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery and Monash Science Centre, Monash University 1-124
• J. F. Rigby. 1978. Jurassic plant fossils from the Walloon Coal Measures at Rosewood Consolidated Colliery. Queensland Government Mining Journal 526-529
• Wells, A.T., O'Brien, P.E., 1994, Lithostratigraphic framework of the Clarence-Moreton Basin IN Wells, A.T. and O'Brien, P.E. (eds.) "Geology and Petroleum Potential of the Clarence-Moreton Basin, New South Wales and Queensland", Australian Geological Survey Organisation. Bulletin, 241, p4-47