Progress in detailed mapping and biostratigraphical work in New South Wales has resulted in a revision of the current correlations of the Carboniferous rocks in eastern Australia (Jones et al., 1973). Revision of the brachiopod zonation (Roberts, 1975) indicates the widespread distribution of the Tulcumbella tenuistriata. Schellwienella cf. burlingtonensis. Delepinea aspinosa, Rhipidomella fortimuscula. Marginirugus barringtonensis and Levipustula levis Zones; the absence of the Spirifer sol and Orthotetes australis Zones in Queensland; and the restriction of the latter Zone to the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales. The brachiopods fauna are largely endemic, and where ammonoids, conodonts, and foraminifera are available, attempts have been made to date them in terms of the standard European series. The lower three brachiopod zones as dated from the goniatite evidence are mainly Tournaisian in age (tenuistriata Zone = Tnlb or cul; sol Zone = Tn2; cf. burlingtonensis Zone = Tn3a to Vla of CuII y). Although these ages are broadly consistent with those of the conodont evidence, in detail, there is an apparent discrepancy between the ages of the sequence of gnathodid faunas in the Schellwienella cf. bulingtonensis Zone at Carellan and Rouchel. A conflict between the late Visean - early Namurian (V3a-EI) ages suggested by the goniatites for the younger brachiopod zones (australis, aspinosa, fortimuscula and barringtonensis Zones), and the earliy Visean (Vla) age suggested by the conodonts (Jenkins, 1974), has been partly resolved by Crane (1975, unpubl.), who has shown that the conodonts associated with the barringtonensis Zone are no older than cuIII y (V3b) and probably no younger than early Namurian (EI). However, there still remains the problem that the upper limit of the upper part of the australis Zone, as based on the Trevallyn ammonoids (Brown et al., 1965), is the same age as of younger (cuII y/cuIII y = V3b y/ß) than the upper limit of the upper sibzone (Gigantoproductus tenuirugosus Subzone) of a younger aspinosa Zone, as based on forminifera (Mamet's zones 13 to 15; V2b-V3b). Goniatite (Campbell, 1962) and conodont evidence (Crane, 1975, unpubl.) suggest that the base of the Levipustula levis Zone on the correlation chart of Jones et al. (1973) should be lowered to almost meet the barringtonensis Zone in the earliest Namurian (E1). Apart from brachiopod evidence there is no reliable information available to date the top of the L. levis Zone, and at present it is accepted that it extends into the Westphalian (Roberts, 1976). More biostratigraphical studies of brachiopods, ammonoids, conodonts, foraminifera, and other fossil groups from the Carboniferous of eastern Australia are needed, and an integration of the results of such studies is necessary in order to resolve many of the problems of correlation.
