Estuarine deposition of a mid-Viséan tetrapod unit, Ducabrook Formation, central Queensland: implications for tetrapod dispersal

Abstract

At Ducabrook property, central Queensland, the mid-Viséan Ducabrook Formation has yielded a diverse vertebrate fauna (fish and one tetrapod taxon) from a thin unit among siltstone interbedded with sandstone, minor oolitic limestone and conglomerate. Five lithofacies can be distinguished: the Oolitic Facies, distinguished by oolitic limestone and straight parallel ripple crests; the Sandy Facies, composed of plane-laminated and current-rippled sandstones; the Conglomeratic Facies, represented by pebble conglomerate displaying planar cross-bedded megaripples; the Silty Facies of siltstone with abundant calcrete nodules or sand/silt/clay interlaminations; and the Lime-Flake Facies, characterised by abundant locally derived lime flakes. The last includes the fossiliferous tetrapod unit. The Oolitic Facies was deposited in the inner (proximal) and outer (distal) zones of an estuary, based on identification of tidal sedimentary structures (e.g. mud drapes) and estuarine oolitic fabrics; the Lime-Flake Facies and Silty Facies were deposited in the estuary and lower reaches of a river and its surrounds; and the Sandy and Conglomeratic Facies represent braid-river deposits. Overall, the sequence represents intermittent deposition throughout an estuary, both within the tidal channel and the surrounding tidal flats, with additional deposition from the feeder river. The tetrapod unit, from the Lime-Flake Facies, represents a twin-peaked storm-induced flood event onto the tidal channel floor. The vertebrate bones have a shared taphonomic history and have undergone only local transport. The tetrapod and fish were spatially and temporally concurrent, probably in a shallow tidally influenced proximal estuarine habitat experiencing monsoonal conditions. Estuarine adaptations of these vertebrate taxa can explain migration along shallow-water continental shelves between the supercontinents during the Late Devonian and Early Carboniferous.