Review of Lopingian (upper Permian) stratigraphy of the Galilee Basin,Queensland, Australia

The recent increase in exploration activity in the Galilee Basin, Queensland, has highlighted inconsistencies in the usage of Lopingian (upper Permian) stratigraphic nomenclature across the basin. This study utilised peer-reviewed journal, company and government publications to evaluate the current understanding of the naming conventions in use and correlated them to nomenclature in the adjacent Bowen Basin. The prominent misinterpretation is between the stratigraphic relationship and terminology of the northern and western Betts Creek beds and its eastern and southern correlatives the Bandanna Formation and Colinlea Sandstone. The correlation between the units has been assessed from a (1) lithological, (2) sedimentological and (3) coal-seam architectural perspective. The Betts Creek beds appear similar to the Colinlea Sandstone in their lithology and sedimentological character, but increased drilling data suggest the original type-sections no longer fit the heterogeneous lithology of correlated strata bearing that nomenclature. Correlation across the Springsure Shelf into the Bowen Basin suggests that the Betts Creek beds and their subdivisions are in fact equivalent to the Bandanna Formation, the Fort Cooper Coal Measures (the Burngrove and Fair Hill formations) and the Moranbah Coal Measures. A revised stratigraphic column for the Galilee Basin has been proposed to reflect this, and to suggest that a new stratigraphic unit be introduced; the ‘Fort Cooper Coal Measures equivalent’ and its subdivisions the ‘Burngrove and Fair Hill formation equivalents.’