Miocene and Pliocene sediments dredged from the sea-floor off St Helens, northeastern Tasmania

Calcarenites dredged from 807 and 960m, 50km southeast of St Helens, Tasmania, have yielded Early Miocene and mid-Pliocene foraminiferid faunas. The Miocene fauna is a deeper water continental shelf type of the same age (N4j 5) as other sediments well known from the northern coast of Tasmania. It contains a higher percentage of planktic forms than known in coeval sediments elsewhere in Tasmania. The mid-Pliocene (approximately N20) including a significant planktic component, is the first such fauna documented from Tasmania.