QML796 (Horizon A4)
Basic information
Sample name: QML796 (Horizon A4)

Reference: G. J. Price and G. E. Webb. 2006. Late Pleistocene sedimentology, taphonomy and megafauna extinction on the Darling Downs, southeastern Queensland. Australian Journal of Earth Sciences 53(6):947-970 [ER 3685]
Geography
Country: Australia

State: Queensland


Coordinate: 27° 56' S, 151° 51' E
Coordinate basis: estimated from map

Time interval: Late Pleistocene

Section: 3685

Unit number: 2

Unit order: above to below

Max Ma: 0.0912

Min Ma: 0.0777

Age basis: U/Th

Geography comments: "Site QML796 is located in the northern bank of Kings Creek, in the Darling Downs, southeastern Queensland, around 200 m downstream from site QML1396".
Three U/Th dates on fossilised teeth from Horizon A4 range from 91.2 ± 0.6 ka to 77.7 ± 0.8 (Price et al. 2011).
Earlier U/Th and C14 dates on bivalve shells are considered to be unreliable.

Environment
Lithology: siliciclastic (mixed)

Taphonomic context: fluvial deposit

Habitat comments: "The modern Kings Creek catchment is fed from the east by shallow, ephemeral watercourses".
The QML796 deposit contains both high-velocity lateral accretion (channel) and low-velocity vertical accretion (overbank) deposits with three highly fossiliferous horizons".
"The middle A4 horizon represents minor stacked channel elements interpreted as small tributaries on the interfluve deposited during high rainfall periods".
"Taphonomic data suggest that most of the identifiable material was accumulated and transported into the deposit from the surrounding proximal floodplain, with the small size of the palaeocatchment precluding any long distance transport of the material".

Methods
Life forms: rodents,other large mammals,other small mammals,birds,lizards,snakes,turtles,other reptiles,frogs,fishes,snails

Sampling methods: quarry,screenwash

Sample size: 671 specimens

Sampling comments: "Fossils were recovered from an exposed vertical section by in situ collecting and removal of bulk sediment to target smaller specimens".
"A 3x2 m plot was surveyed on the ground above the site, and 1x1 m quadrats were excavated in 10 cm increments using trowels and brushes".
"The excavation continued to a depth of 2.3 metres, yielding a total of 24 cubic metres of sediment and material processed".
"Excavated sediment was washed using 10 and 1 mm graded sieves".
"Specimens of Velesunio ambiguus, Corbicula australis (bivalves) and Plotiopsis balonnensis (a freshwater gastropod) were extremely common in each main fossiliferous horizon (represented by several thousand individuals), and thus, their abundance data were not recorded".

Metadata
Sample number: 3852

Contributor: Benjamin Carter

Enterer: Benjamin Carter

Created: 2022-01-19 16:55:59

Modified: 2023-04-29 04:56:06

Abundance distribution
46 species
15 singletons
total count 671
geometric series index: 83.9
Fisher's α: 11.192
geometric series k: 0.8944
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.8875
Shannon's H: 2.7435
Good's u: 0.9777
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
Register
Ornithorhynchus anatinus1
Tachyglossus sp.1
Sminthopsis sp.2
Dasyurus viverrinus4
also 13 Dasyurus sp. "possibly D. viverrinus"
Antechinus sp.1
also 1 Dasyuridae indet.
Thylacinus cynocephalus1
Perameles nasuta1992 g
Perameles sobbei5
also 6 Perameles sp.
Isoodon obesulus21.0 kg
also 4 Isoodon sp. and 15 Peramelidae indet.
Vombatidae indet.2
Diprotodon sp.42
Thylacoleo carnifex1
Bettongia sp.1
Aepyprymnus sp.3
Sthenurus andersoni1
also 2 Sthenurinae indet.
Troposodon minor10
Macropus sp.1
"sp. A"
Notamacropus agilis siva1814 kg browser-grazer
"Macropus agilis siva"
Macropus titan11
also 3 Macropus sp.
Protemnodon brehus8
Protemnodon roechus7
Protemnodon anak12
also 18 Protemnodon sp. and 112 Macropodidae indet.
Pseudomys australis20
Pseudomys sp.1
"sp. A"
Rattus sp.6
"R. tunneyi or R. sordidus"
Hydromys chrysogaster2
also 905 Muridae indet.
Dromaius novaehollandiae132 kg insectivore-omnivore
Anatidae indet.2
Crocodylidae indet.4
Elapidae indet.37
Varanus priscus51
"Megalania prisca"; also 1 Varanus sp.
Tiliqua rugosa20
Sphenomorphus sp. 14
"Sphenomorphus Group sp. 1"
Sphenomorphus sp. 26
"Sphenomorphus Group sp. 2"
Sphenomorphus sp. 33
"Sphenomorphus Group sp. 3"
Intellagama lesueurii1
"Physignathus leseurii"
Tympanocryptis lineata31
Chelidae indet.20
Limnodynastes tasmaniensis4
also 1 Limnodynastes sp. "possibly L. spenceri"
Teleostei indet.152
Austrosuccinea sp.1
Gyrocochlea sp.29
Coencharopa sp.6
Paralaoma caputspinulae1
Gyraulus gilberti133
Glyptophysa gibbosa1