ThefossiloraofDinmore

ByDrStephenMcLoughlin

Story and photos by Dr Stephen McLoughlin

40

Australian Age of Dinosaurs

Since it first opened in the early 1930s, the Dinmore Claypit at Ipswich, Queensland, has been an important research and teaching destination for palaeontologists, educators and students. Today, nearly 80 years later, the relevance of this unique resource remains undiminished.
Twenty-one years ago, my first fossil-hunting foray was to the suburbs of Ipswich. I had no field guide describing where to find fossils, no geological map, and no equipment other than a rock hammer. All I knew was that Ipswich was home to coal mines in Triassic strata, and where there was coal it was likely thered be nice plant fossils. With an eye out for coal mine tailings dumps, I drove around the outskirts of Ipswich. Through the course of the day I found several productive fossil sites but the best I encountered on that first fossil foray was undoubtedly the Dinmore Claypit, also known as the Roberts Street Claypit. This site has been actively quarried as a source of industrial clay since at least the 1930s and has long been a favourite haunt of fossil hunters. By the end of the day I had a car full of shale slabs with beautiful imprints of leaves and stems. It is very satisfying that some of these now reside in museums where they are available for future generations to study. Throughout the two decades since my initial introduction to the Dinmore Claypit I have returned many times, sometimes with colleagues or students and sometimes to simply reacquaint myself with this outstanding natural resource. I quickly discovered that getting access to really good fossil material depends to a large extent on whether recent quarrying has exposed fresh bedding surfaces of the shales. After long periods of exposure to the elements, the surface layers of shale can become soft, bleached and friable, reducing ones ability to find large cohesive slabs with preservation of fine vein details in the fossil leaves. Nevertheless, with a little digging, one can always find excellent material at Dinmore due to the sheer abundance of fossils preserved. The fossils at the main Dinmore Claypit site are preserved as impressions in thinly laminated pale grey or pink shale. These are simply imprints where all of the original organic matter has weathered away leaving just an outline (such as the shape and veined pattern of leaves) as indentations in the rock. In some cases, ground-waters have percolated through the shales and on evaporating, have precipitated a thin veneer of iron minerals over the surface of the fossils. This also helps accentuate some of the morphological details of the leaves. A little higher up the hill to the south of the main claypit are old coal mine spoil dumps with large boulders of dark grey siltstone and sandstone that also contain Late Triassic plant fossils. However, on these boulders some of the fossils are preserved as compressions, where the original organic matter has been retained in the rock and compressed to coaly material. Both the grey shales in the main claypit and the dark blocks in the spoil dump derive from the Blackstone Formation part of the Ipswich Coal Measures.

Retaining coalified plant tissues, these Dicroidium leaves (right) preserved as compressions were retrieved from coal mine spoil dumps behind Dinmore Quarry. Dicroidium leaves such as Dicroidium odontopteroides (opposite page) are common in the grey shales of the Dinmore Claypit which form part of the Ipswich Coal Measures.

Issue 10

41

The Fossil Flora

The Dinmore Claypit hosts an extremely rich fossil flora dominated by an extinct order of plants called Corystospermales (also known as Umkomasiales) that are recognised by their distinctive fern-like forked leaves. Corystosperms were the dominant plants contributing to the Triassic coal deposits of the Southern Hemisphere and the same species are found right across the ancient supercontinent Gondwana, from South America in the west to New Zealand in

the east. Several species of Dicroidium occur in the Dinmore deposit some with small semicircular or lobed leaflets, others with long needle-like leaflets. Although the leaves look superficially like a fern, these plants did not produce spores. Instead they produced pollen and seeds. When the various organs of the plant are found dispersed in the sediment, palaeobotanists assign the leaves to the genus Dicroidium, the seed-bearing parts to Umkomasia, and the pollen-bearing parts to Pteruchus. Even the pollen grains are given a separate name

when found dispersed Falcisporites. Hence a single parent plant might have produced parts that are assigned to four or five names. But that is one of the joys of palaeobotany working out the jigsaw puzzle of dispersed parts to reconstruct the structure and ecology of the whole plant. Dicroidium leaves probably make up 80 per cent of the individual plant fossils at Dinmore and commonly occur in densely matted layers suggesting that the plants had a deciduous habit (dropping their leaves in the polar autumn) a common strategy

Several species of Dicroidium occur in the Dinmore deposit and include the lobe-leafleted Dicroidium odontopteroides (above) and the long, needle-like leaflets of Dicroidium elongatum (left). Dicroidium leaves account for about 80 per cent of fossil plants at Dinmore and usually occur in dense matted layers, suggesting a deciduous habit.

42

Australian Age of Dinosaurs

When leaves, seeds and pollenbearing parts found dispersed throughout a deposit cannot be directly linked to each other, they are all given a different name. It is therefore possible that a single plant species can consist of several organs that bear different names. The name Umkomasia refers to the seed-producing parts of the plant hence the name Umkomasia given to this small seed organ (right). Pollen organs are named Pteruchus with this beautiful species (above) known as Pteruchus dubia. Leaves from the Dinmore deposit associated with these fossils are assigned to the genus Dicroidium.

Issue 10

43

The fan-shaped leaf of Ginkgo matatiensis, an ancient relative of the Chinese maidenhair tree. Several species of Ginkgo leaves are scattered throughout the Dinmore Claypit.

for plants living in strongly seasonal environments. However, there is also a broad array of other plants preserved at Dinmore. Fern fronds and equisetalean (horsetail) stems are present in small numbers and several species of fan-shaped Ginkgo leaves are scattered through the deposit (see AAOD #8 Ginkgo in Australia). There are also distinctive strap-shaped leaves with parallel veins called Heidiphyllum that belong to the Voltziales, an extinct order of conifers. Other extinct groups of gymnosperms (seed-bearing plants) are also represented, including the Peltaspermales (Lepidopteris leaves and Antevsia pollen organs: Kannaskoppiales ( Rhochipteris ) Bennettitales (Pterophyllum leaves), possible cycads (Taeniopteris leaves), and some curious strap- or tongueshaped leaves (Linguifolium) for which we do not yet have any firm ideas as to their affinities. The Dinmore flora has many species and genera in common with the well-studied Triassic floras of South Africa, Argentina and Antarctica, but much less in common with floras from North America, Europe and Asia, thus contributing to the concept of a widespread but distinctive middle- to high-latitude Southern Hemisphere (Gondwanan) flora during this time interval.

Fossil leaves of Heidiphyllum elongatum relics of an extinct order of conifers, the Voltziales.

Ferns such as this foliage of Cladophlebis sp. are relatively uncommon in the Dinmore deposits.

44

Australian Age of Dinosaurs

A leaf of the extinct gymnosperm Rhochipteris ginkgoides.

Linguifolium tenison-woodsii, an unusual gymnosperm leaf whose true affinities as yet remain obscure.

Pterophyllum multilineatum, a bennettitalean leaf.

Pollen organ of Antevsia sp. a seed-bearing peltasperm from the Dinmore Claypit.

An elongate leaf of the gymnosperm Taeniopteris lentriculiformis a possible cycad.

Issue 10

45

The Fossil Fauna

Beyond the plants, the Triassic shales exposed at Dinmore and nearby Denmark Hill have also yielded a few fossil insects and abundant branchiopod crustaceans (spinicaudatans). In 2004 Peter Jell compiled a comprehensive list of the insects described from the Australian fossil record. Although several new discoveries from around the continent have been described subsequently, this publication lists the significant discoveries from the rocks of the Ipswich Basin and is a good starting point for anyone interested in pursuing further investigations of Australias Triassic insects. Scattered amongst the leaf fossils at Dinmore are small (about 5mm diameter) circular or kidney-shaped

imprints that are commonly mistaken by first-time collectors as seeds. Closer inspection with a hand lens will reveal that these structures have concentric growth rings and actually represent the bi-valved shells of branchiopod crustaceans (a group that includes the modern brine shrimps). These were formerly known as conchostracans until it was realized that several quite distinct groups of crustaceans had been lumped under this banner. John Webb (now at Latrobe University) published an article on the Ipswich branchiopod crustaceans in 1979 but there is much potential for future work on this group since they are relatively common in the Dinmore deposit. Even when the bodies of the invertebrates are not preserved, we can still

recognise their presence in some cases by the traces of their distinctive life habits. For example, sparse trails in the sediments attest to the presence of a few small sediment-burrowing invertebrates. Further, one conifer leaf identified by palaeontologists Andrew Rozefelds and Ian Sobbe in 1987 shows the tell-tale evidence of a leaf-mining invertebrate (probably either a small insect or a mite). This fossil remains one of the worlds oldest examples of leaf mining in the fossil record. To date, no vertebrate fossils have been found at this site. This is a little peculiar since the sediments are ideal for preserving the remains of fish or trackways. Perhaps the high-latitude setting might explain the dearth of vertebrate fossils, or perhaps we have just not looked hard enough yet!

Shell of a branchiopod crustacean from the Dinmore claypit.

A Heidiphyllum leaf with evidence of leaf mining one of the oldest such records on Earth.

A bonus fossil deposit

Apart from the well-known and abundant Triassic plant fossils, there is another assemblage of much younger plant remains in the same quarry at Dinmore. These occur in soft claystones that overlie the Triassic strata in the northern half of the pit. These younger deposits are of Paleogene age (probably around 55 million years old) and belong to the Redbank Plains Formation. Due to their similar colour and lithology, these rocks can easily be confused with the older Triassic strata, but the fossil assemblages from the respective formations are strikingly different. The fossils in the Paleogene sediments are mostly broad elliptical leaves of flowering plants and include representatives of families that one might recognise in modern Australian moist forests including members of the laurel family (Lauraceae) and rainforest quandongs (Elaeocarpaceae). A few ferns are present including the climbing fern

Lygodium but conifers are surprisingly rare. Although a large assemblage of fossils from this Paleogene deposit has been collected and conserved in the Queensland Museum, the full composition of this flora has never been described. The softer clays of the Redbank Plains Formation mean that exposures degrade very quickly, and well-preserved fossils are usually found only after fresh excavations are made for industrial clays.

An angiosperm leaf from Palaeogene deposits at the Dinmore Claypit (right). At about 55 million years old, the fossils of these flowering plants are preserved in the Redbank Plains Formation which overlies the Triassic strata at Dinmore.

46

Australian Age of Dinosaurs

Image courtesy Trade Alliance

The Ipswich Basin is one of several small Triassic intermontane sedimentary basins (right) that developed at the end of a major mountain building phase when Australia still attached to the supercontinent Gondwana was colliding with the ancient Pacific Plate. The subsequent formation of deep valleys between mountain ranges, combined with a cool moist environment and dense vegetation, led to the accumulation of thick peat beds, and several of the sedimentary basins formed under these circumstances host commercial quantities of coal. Comprehensive mining operations in what is known today as the Ipswich Coal Measures have now been carried out at Dinmore (above).

The Ipswich Basin in perspective

The fossil-bearing beds at Dinmore lie within the Ipswich Basin a small fault-bound sedimentary basin in southeast Queensland of Triassic age. The Triassic (251200 million years ago) is the first period of the Mesozoic Era and saw the rise of the dinosaurs, pterosaurs, large marine reptiles and many new plant groups in the aftermath of the great end-Permian extinction. The Ipswich Basin is just one of several small Triassic intermontane sedimentary basins scattered through eastern Australia including the Tasmania Basin in Tasmania, five small depressions that make up the Leigh Creek basin complex in South Australia, the Lorne Basin in New South Wales, the Esk Trough spanning the Queensland-NSW border, and the Tarong and Callide basins in Queensland. Several of these basins host commercial quantities of coal. The Tarong, Callide and Leigh Creek coal measures, in particular, currently contribute major coal resources

to the generation of electricity in Queensland and South Australia. The formation of coal requires the accumulation of thick quantities of peat in swampy environments wherein the organic matter builds up in oxygendeprived soils faster than microbes can break it down. This generally requires a very wet environment and continuous subsidence. Later burial by sediments compresses the peat and, combined with geothermal heating, converts it to coal. All of these sedimentary basins developed at the tail end of a major phase of mountain building in eastern Australia when the landmass (at that time still attached to the other Southern Hemisphere continents) was actively colliding with the ancient Pacific Plate. At that time, the eastern Australian margin might have been reminiscent of the modern Andean and Rocky Mountain margins of the Americas, with high mountains separated by deep valleys and local lake systems accumulating sediments. All of this occurred while eastern Australia was situated much closer to

the South Pole as determined by the palaeomagnetic signature imprinted in the rocks of that time. Hence, the eastern Australian Triassic floras probably developed under a cool and generally moist climate. Because these basins were accumulating sediments at different times through the Triassic, the fossils obtained from these deposits collectively allow us to build up a picture of the progressive changes in the vegetation through the early Mesozoic of eastern Australia. Few fossil leaf floras of this age have yet been studied from Western Australian basins but the fossil spore-pollen record of those western basins has been well studied as an aid to petroleum exploration. A regular turnover of species is evident throughout the Australian Triassic and there are some regional differences in the composition of the floras, but the major plant groups are represented throughout the continent. The Ipswich Basin provides a window into the floras of the early and middle parts of the Late Triassic (around 226203 million years ago).

Issue 10

47

A Teaching Resource
Given its proximity to Ipswich and Brisbane and its relatively easy access and generally safe setting for collecting, the Dinmore Claypit has long been used as a teaching site for school and university palaeontological excursions with access being allowed by the operators, Claypave, on application. The close preservation of two fossil deposits of greatly different age allows teachers to point out the dramatic turnovers that Australias vegetation has experienced in the past 230 million years. Indeed, most of the genera that are so abundantly represented in the Late Triassic Blackstone Formation assemblage did not survive beyond the end-Triassic mass extinction 200 million years ago one of the big five mass-extinction events in Earths history. The Blackstone Formation deposits are also a useful resource for explaining the differences between the depositional environments of various sedimentary rocks. Whereas some exposures of the Blackstone Formation in the Ipswich district reveal thick sandstones with cross-bedding and large fossil logs typical of deposition within the major river channels that

meandered across the landscape in the Triassic, the deposits at Dinmore Claypit are thinly laminated shales containing finely preserved delicate foliage and aquatic crustaceans, all features indicating they were laid down in much quieter floodplain lake environments. Further, the differences between the fossils of the coal mine spoil dumps (compressions) and those of the main claypit (impressions) offer an opportunity for teachers to explain the processes behind the varying styles of fossil preservation. Elsewhere in the Ipswich Basin, stem and root casts and permineralised (silicified) logs can also be found, which teachers can use to elaborate on the multiple ways that plants can be fossilised. The Dinmore Claypit is even potentially an important site for environmental science and urban planning students to discuss the management and competing interests of extractive industries, recreation and sites of scientific significance within a suburban setting. To date, only minor planned re-vegetation work has been carried out on disused parts of the claypit site. However, should the well-intentioned actions of local authorities and public interest groups seek to entirely

rehabilitate the site in the future, then a very valuable research and teaching asset could be placed at risk. In a similar manner, the Haig Street Quarry in western Ipswich, another important Triassic palaeontological site, is now a formally designated environmental park and is off-limits for further fossil collecting.

Future Research
Although fossils from the Dinmore Claypit and surrounding areas have been studied for over 100 years, there is great potential for future research at this site. Some key studies of the composition of the Ipswich Basin Triassic flora include those of Shirley (1898), Walkom (1917), Jones and de Jersey (1947), Hill et al. (1965), Pattemore and Rigby (2005) and Anderson and Anderson (2008). Despite these studies, there have been few investigations into the palaeoenvironments and palaeoecology of the fossil biota. Because the strata in the quarry dip at only a shallow angle, the Dinmore Claypit is one of the few sites where it should be possible to expose large areas of a single bedding surface and undertake a detailed quantitative survey

48

Australian Age of Dinosaurs

A trail of first-year University of Queensland geology students follow the well beaten path of many young people before them as they investigate the coal-bearing strata of the Blackstone Formation at Dinmore (left). The thick sandstones at the top of this old mine represent ancient river channel deposits, whereas the dark shales below represent lake and swamp deposits rich in plant fossils. The unbridled enthusiasm of Queensland University of Technology geology students digging for plant fossils at Dinmore (above) demonstrates the importance of this outstanding deposit and its unparalleled significance as an educational resource for students.

of a Triassic plant assemblage. Few such studies have been undertaken anywhere on Earth for rocks of this age. Furthermore, the relatively flatlying beds at Dinmore could be progressively removed to reveal floristic changes through the vertical succession of strata. A detailed investigation integrating the floristic aspects and sedimentology of the site would be a fine project for some keen student of palaeontology. Another aspect of the fossil biota that has been little investigated is the role of insect-plant interactions in the Triassic high-latitude forests. We have no modern analogues for the polar forests that flourished during the warm Mesozoic era. Today, temperatures are too extreme for plant life at the poles. Hence, our understanding of how complex forest ecosystems dealt with a peculiar climatic regime involving mild temperatures yet six-monthly alternations of sunlight and darkness must come from either greenhouse experiments or a

thorough understanding of the fossil record. The recognition of leaf mining was a novel discovery at Dinmore, but there is great potential for assessing the roles of other styles of insect-plant interaction in the Late Triassic biota (e.g., external leaf feeding, piercing-and-sucking behaviour, seed predation, wood boring, galling, pollen feeding, and egg laying within plant tissues). We look to the school teaching community to inspire students at an early age to take up an interest

in palaeontology and other aspects of natural history. Sites such as the Dinmore Claypit offer an invaluable resource for teachers to offer a unique fossil-collecting experience for students. Further, we await a keen new generation of university undergraduate and postgraduate palaeontology students to take on the challenges of investigating the palaeoecology of the rich Dinmore fossil biota.

The Author
Steve McLoughlin completed his PhD in the palaeobotany of Permian floras at The University of Queensland in 1990. He has subsequently undertaken research and teaching at the University of Western Australia, University of Melbourne and the Queensland University of Technology. Steve is now a senior curator in the Department of Palaeobotany at the Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm.

Further reading: For more information on the fossils at Dinmore, go to: http://www.nrm.se/english/researchandcollections/ researchdivision/palaeobotany/collections/databases/traustralia/trdinmore.13332.html

Issue 10

49