Earth:Kungarra Formation
| Kungarra Formation Stratigraphic range: Siderian ~2449 Ma | |
|---|---|
| Type | Formation |
| Unit of | Turee Creek Group |
| Sub-units | Meteorite Bore Member |
| Underlies | Koolbye Formation |
| Overlies | Boolgeeda Iron Formation |
| Thickness | ~2,000 m (6,600 ft) |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Siltstone |
| Other | Diamictite, Shale |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | [ ⚑ ] : 22°50′48″S 116°52′12″E / 22.84667°S 116.87°E |
| Region | Western Australia |
| Country | Australia |
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The Kungarra Formation is an Siderian aged geologic formation in Western Australia.
Geology
The Kungarra Formation can be found within the Turee Creek Group, reaching up to around ~2,000 m (6,600 ft) thick and is composed predominately of siltstone and fine-grained sandstone, with a singular member in the middle of the formation known as the "Meteorite Bore Member", which is composed of diamictite. It is underlain by the Boolgeeda Iron Formation of the Hamersley Group, whilst it is overlain by the sandstone dominated Koolbye Formation.[1]
Members
There is only a single named member in the formation, the Meteorite Bore Member. This member in its type section reaches up to 270 m (890 ft) thick, and sits roughly ~1,800 m (5,900 ft) above the base of the Kungarra Formation. It is primarily composed of diamictite and shale.[1] The member was also deposited during a glacial period, primarily at a rapidly melting ice-front, inferred from glacigenic sediment being found restricted to certain areas of the member as well as various clasts, and the distinct lack of evidence of an ice shelf or large icebergs.[1]
Fossils
The Kungarra Formation is possibly home to the Kazput Reef Complex, a large stromatolite–thrombolite reef discovered in 2016,[2] which also contains possibly the oldest phototrophic microfossil community known.[3][4] Although, the exact position of this reef complex remains up in the air, with it being attributed also to the upper sections of the Kazput Formation originally, hence its name.[2] Despite this, recent studies have supported a placement within the lower sections of the Kungarra Formation.[4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Martin, David McB. (February 1999). "Depositional setting and implications of Paleoproterozoic glaciomarine sedimentation in the Hamersley Province, Western Australia". Geological Society of America Bulletin 111 (2): 189–203. doi:10.1130/0016-7606(1999)111<0189:DSAIOP>2.3.CO;2. ISSN 0016-7606.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Barlow, E.; Van Kranendonk, M. J.; Yamaguchi, K. E.; Ikehara, M.; Lepland, A. (July 2016). "Lithostratigraphic analysis of a new stromatolite–thrombolite reef from across the rise of atmospheric oxygen in the Paleoproterozoic Turee Creek Group, Western Australia". Geobiology 14 (4): 317–343. doi:10.1111/gbi.12175.
- ↑ Barlow, Erica Victoria; Kranendonk, Martin Julian Van (August 9, 2018). "Snapshot of an early Paleoproterozoic ecosystem: Two diverse microfossil communities from the Turee Creek Group, Western Australia". Geobiology 16 (5): 449–475. doi:10.1111/gbi.12304. ISSN 1472-4677. OCLC 52805553. PMID 30091832. Bibcode: 2018Gbio...16..449B. http://www.erica-barlow.com/uploads/1/2/1/4/121432697/barlow___van_kranendonk_2018_-_snapshot_of_an_early_paleoproterozoic_ecosystem.pdf. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Soares, G.G.; Van Kranendonk, M.J.; Belousova, E.; Thomson, S. (January 2019). "Phosphogenesis in the immediate aftermath of the Great Oxidation Event: Evidence from the Turee Creek Group, Western Australia". Precambrian Research 320: 193–212. doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2018.10.017.
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