Micropaleontology: Principles and Applications

About this book

Micropaleontology: Principles and Applications 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 how to work with them for evolution of life, age and paleoenvironment of sedimentary strata, paleoclimate, and paleoceanography.

Contents

Part - A: Principles
1. Introduction
2. Taphonomy and Quality of the Fossil Record
3. Microfossil Biomineralization and Biogeochemistry
4. Morphology, Taxonomy and Concepts of Species
5. Basic Concepts of Ecology

Part - B: An Overview of Microfossils
6. Calcareous-Walled Microfossils
7. Siliceous-Walled Microfossils
8. Phosphatic Microfossils
9. Organic-Walled Microfossils

Part - C: Applications
10. Biostratigraphy
11. Paleoenvironment and Paleoclimate
12. Basin Analysis and Hydrocarbon Exploration
13. Paleoceanography

Customer Reviews

Biography

Pratul Kumar Saraswati started a career with oil industry as biostratigrapher and has been teaching Micropaleontology, Paleontology and Petroleum Geoscience related courses for the past more than 25 years at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay.

M. S. Srinivasan initiated and taught Micropaleontology and Paleoceanography at Banaras Hindu University for four decades. He also participated as Ship Board Scientist in the Deep Sea Drilling Project.