Abstract
The ∼5 km thick Burrinjuck Devonian sedimentary sequence records environmental change from a volcanic terrain with deep lake deposits (oldest), through a tropical reef marine ecosystem, to river and lake deposits (youngest). Numerous fossil horizons document evolutionary change through the final stage of terrestrialization of the earth's biota. Exceptional exposures of Devonian tropical reefs in the Wee Jasper valley, with limestones washed completely clean by the waters of Lake Burrinjuck, have produced the world's oldest known coral reef fish assemblage. Including associated invertebrates, the faunal list stands at some 266 fossil genera. Burrinjuck produced five key fossil fish specimens used in the 1940s in London to develop the acetic acid technique for extracting bone from calcareous rock (now standard in laboratories throughout the world). Recognizing the uniquely preserved early vertebrate braincase structures, the British Museum (Natural History) mounted two collecting expeditions to Burrinjuck (1955, 1963), when some 560 specimens were removed to London. Repatriation of type specimens is a future issue. The largest collection of Burrinjuck early vertebrate braincase material is housed at the Australian National University in Canberra; at least 70 fossil fish species represents biodiversity unequalled at any other Devonian fossil fish locality. Fossil site protection for the Burrinjuck area was the basis for a recent nomination for National Heritage listing. Long-term protection of natural history collections in the National Capital as part of Australia's scientific heritage is a related issue of concern.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 83-107 |
Number of pages | 25 |
Journal | Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales |
Volume | 132 |
Publication status | Published - 2011 |