Applied Geological Micropalaeontology

This is a text book of 'Applied Micropalaeontology' with number of aspects of the microfossils to make their taxonomy interpretative. Since they were 'once-living microorganisms', it also forms a part of the biological subjects. Besides, it also covers important developments that took place within the last seven decades in the study of foraminifera, ostracoda, calcareous nannoplanktons, diatoms and conodonts by transforming their ecological-data in the 'rich-text' enabling students to understand the trend of their applications in the recent exploration-techniques for oil and other minerals.

Seven original case-studies are presented in this volume, each describing the application of micropaleontology and palynology in applied geology: (1) a study of the modern distribution of coccolith sedimentation in the North Sea and its potential for future application in basin analysis; (2) ostracods are shown to be good paleoenvironmental indicators in the early Cretaceous and Tertiary; (3) a biogenic gas seep in the North Sea is shown to be marked by diagnostic benthonic foraminifera; (4) in the North Sea hydrocarbon exploration, integrated studies of micropaleontology have provided invaluable data; (5) palynofacies analysis are shown to be vital in determining depositional events and hydrocarbon source rock potential; (6) the application of paleontology and sedimentology to sequence stratigraphy is demonstrated in the early Cretaceous; and (7) the application of micropaleontology is shown to be an essential tool in both engineering and economic geology. Most chapters have been prepared by earth scientists from industry. The study of microfossils presented in this book provides invaluable data for stratigraphers, petroleum geologists and for engineers and economic geologists working in hydrocarbon exploration and basin analysis.

The book is designed to cover the recent researches carried-out by the scholars from across the world. It covers aspects related to Foraminifera, in biostratigraphy and paleoecology, isotopic studies, applicability as bio-indicators in pollution studies, taxonomy of Indo-Pacific assemblages, studies of history of ocean bottom oxygenation and experimental studies; Radiolaria from Antarctic Ocean; Microbalites including Diatoms in studying threats and conservation issues in salt lakes of Western Australia; Ostracoda from freshwater, marginal marine ecosystems from Andaman and Nicobar islands; Coralline-algae from late Eocene rocks of Meghalaya; Zygnematalean algae from across the Permian-Triassic boundary; and Microstructures of egg-shells of vertebrates showing paleobiologic links across the continents. It will serve the postgraduate students choosing Geology as well as researchers in the field of Micropaleontology.

Many papers have noted the association between micropaleontology and petroleum exploration, but no book has ever provided a comprehensive and thematic treatment. This book attempts to do just that. It begins with an overview of pure micropaleontology, then treats the principles and practice of applied micropaleontology and sequence stratigraphy; case studies of applications in various geographic, geologic, and stratigraphic settings are given. The final section deals with applications outside petroleum exploration, with sections on environmental monitoring, coal mining, mineral exploration and exploitation, and engineering. Extensively illustrated and referenced, this book will benefit academic and commercial paleontologists.

Microfossils are ideally suited to environmental studies because their short generation times allow them to respond rapidly to environmental change. This book represents an assessment of the progress made in environmental micropalaeontology and sets out future research directions. The taxa studied are mainly foraminifera, but include arcellaceans, diatoms, dinoflagellates, and ostracodes. The papers themselves range from reviews of applications of particular taxa to specific case studies.

This book will help readers learn the basic skills needed to study microfossils especially those without a formal background in paleontology. It details key principles, explains how to identify different groups of microfossils, and provides insight into their potential applications in solving geologic problems. Basic principles are addressed with examples that explore the strengths and limitations of microfossils and their geological records. This overview provides an understanding of taphonomy and quality of the fossil records, biomineralization and biogeochemistry, taxonomy, concepts of species, and basic concepts of ecology. Readers learn about the major groups of microfossils, including their morphology, ecology, and geologic history. Coverage includes: foraminifera, ostracoda, coccolithophores, pteropods, radiolaria, diatoms, silicoflagellates, conodonts, dinoflagellates, acritarch, and spores and pollens. In this coverage, marine microfossils, and particularly foraminifera, are discussed in more detail compared with the other groups as they continue to play a major role in most scientific investigations. Among the various tracers of earth history, microfossils provide the most diverse kinds of information to earth scientists. This richly illustrated volume will help students and professionals understand microfossils, and provide insight on how to work with them to better understand evolution of life, and age and the paleoenvironment of sedimentary strata.