PALEONTOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF MALAWA FORMATION, PADANGLAMPE, BARRU REGENCY, SOUTH SULAWESI

Abstract

The study area is located at Padanglampe, Barru Regency, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. The objectives of this study are to identify the fossils occurrence and interpret the depositional environment together with age identification based on the fossils occurrence. There are four lithology units found in this study area; volcanic breccias, limestone, sandstone, and intrusion of andesite and trachyte unit. Most of the fossils are found in sandstones unit within the interbedded of limestone, coal, and claystone. The fossils had been soaked with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) for a night to disaggregate fossils from rocks. Seven species found from the phylum mollusks, which are Cerithium salebrosum Sowerby, Cerithium tuberculatum, Cerithium zonatum, Oliva junghuhni, Vicarya sp., Septifer sp. and Ostrea sp., while two species from Cnidaria phylum; Cycloseris sp. and Discocyathus sp. Based on these fossils identification, the age of the study area was ranged from early Triassic to Middle Neogene, and the depositional environment of the study area was interpreted as a shallow subtidal environment with a restricted area of lacustrine or lagoon.