An Interactive 5-Day Training Course
Palynology & Micropalaeontology for Geologists
Using Pollen and Microfossils in Geology
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Duration
5 Days
Price
$ 3,500
Starting From
22 Nov 2027
Home Geology and Geoscience Palynology & Micropalaeontology for Geologists
Palynology & Micropalaeontology for Geologists
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Palynology & Micropalaeontology for Geologists - GG-PALYN-PEA27
| Code | Date | Time | Duration | Location | Currency | Early Bird Fee Per Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GG-PALYN-PEA27 | 22 - 26 Nov 2027 | 10 AM CST | 4 Hours Per Day |
Online |
USD |
3500 |
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Palynology & Micropalaeontology for Geologists
This training covers palynology and micropalaeontology for geologists who use the data. It works through the main microfossil groups and their stratigraphic value, biostratigraphic zonation and its construction, age dating and its resolution, palaeoenvironmental interpretation, palaeobathymetry, reworking and caving, correlation using biostratigraphy, integration with other stratigraphic methods, the specification of biostratigraphic work and the critical reading of biostratigraphic reports.
Description
Biostratigraphy supplies the age framework, the depositional environment and much of the correlation in subsurface geology, and most geologists who rely on it have never been taught how it works. The result is data that is accepted uncritically, zonal schemes applied beyond their valid range, reworked assemblages interpreted as in-place, and reports whose uncertainty statements are not read. This training is for the users rather than the specialists.
The course covers the subject from the user's perspective. The main microfossil groups and their stratigraphic value are established first, covering what each group can and cannot resolve. Biostratigraphic zonation and its construction follow, covering how zones are defined and what they are based on. Age dating and its resolution are then developed, covering the precision genuinely available. Palaeoenvironmental interpretation follows. Palaeobathymetry is then addressed. Reworking and caving follow, covering their recognition and their effect on interpretation. Correlation using biostratigraphy is then developed. Integration with other stratigraphic methods follows. The specification of biostratigraphic work is addressed. The training closes with the critical reading of reports.
Biostratigraphic resolution varies enormously and is often assumed to be better than it is. In a Cenozoic marine section with good nannofossil and foraminiferal recovery, resolution may approach a few hundred thousand years; in a Palaeozoic non-marine section with only palynomorphs, it may be several million. The resolution available depends on the fossil groups present, the preservation, the sample density and the zonal scheme's refinement in that interval. A correlation that assumes finer resolution than the data supports will produce a framework that is confidently wrong.
Tops are reliable and bases are not, in cuttings. The highest occurrence of a taxon in a cuttings sequence approximates its true extinction level, because contamination comes from above; the lowest occurrence is unreliable, because the taxon may be present deeper but absent from the sample by chance or by poor recovery. Zonal schemes for cuttings work are therefore built on tops. Applying a scheme based on first appearances to cuttings data misuses it.
Reworked fossils are common and their recognition changes the interpretation. Older fossils eroded from uplifted source areas and redeposited in younger sediment will give a false older age if taken at face value. They are recognised by their preservation state, which is often poorer and differently coloured than the in-place assemblage, by their stratigraphic inconsistency and by their association with other evidence of erosion. A reworked assemblage misread as in-place produces an age that is too old and a correlation that is wrong.
Finally, the uncertainty statements in a biostratigraphic report are the most important part and are routinely skipped. A competent report states the confidence in each datum, whether the assemblage was rich or sparse, whether preservation was good, whether reworking was present and how firmly the age is constrained. Users who read only the age column and the zone names are discarding exactly the information that tells them how much weight the result can bear.
By the end of this training, participants will be able to:
- Describe the main microfossil groups and their stratigraphic value
- Explain how biostratigraphic zonations are constructed
- Assess the age resolution available in a given setting
- Interpret palaeoenvironmental evidence from assemblages
- Interpret palaeobathymetry from benthic assemblages
- Recognise reworking and caving and their effects
- Apply biostratigraphy to correlation appropriately
- Integrate biostratigraphy with other stratigraphic methods
- Specify biostratigraphic work for a project
- Read biostratigraphic reports critically
The training works on real biostratigraphic data sets and reports. Participants interpret assemblage data for age and environment, build correlations and test them against other evidence, and identify reworking in supplied data. Reports of varying quality are read and critiqued. Biostratigraphic programmes are specified for stated project objectives.
Organisations sending participants to this training will:
- Use biostratigraphic data within its real resolution
- Recognise reworking and caving in reported data
- Specify biostratigraphic programmes effectively
- Integrate biostratigraphy with other stratigraphic evidence
- Read and challenge biostratigraphic reports
- Build correlations with appropriate confidence
Participants will:
- Understand what each fossil group provides
- Assess age resolution realistically
- Interpret environment and bathymetry
- Recognise reworking and caving
- Correlate using biostratigraphy
- Read biostratigraphic reports critically
- Geologists using biostratigraphic data
- Exploration geoscientists building frameworks
- Operations geologists receiving while-drilling results
- Stratigraphers and sequence stratigraphers
- Development geologists correlating reservoirs
- Technical staff specifying biostratigraphic work
- Graduate geoscientists entering stratigraphy
Module 1 - Microfossil Groups
- Foraminifera: planktonic and benthic
- Calcareous nannofossils
- Palynomorphs: spores and pollen
- Dinoflagellate cysts
- Acritarchs and chitinozoans
- Ostracods
- Diatoms and radiolaria
- Conodonts
- Stratigraphic range of each group
- Environmental restriction of each group
- Preservation and its controls
- Which group for which problem
Module 2 - Zonation and Its Construction
- Biozone types and definitions
- Range zones and interval zones
- Assemblage and abundance zones
- Datum definition
- First and last appearance datums
- Tops based schemes for cuttings
- Global against regional schemes
- Standard zonal schemes in use
- Zone calibration to the time scale
- Diachroneity of datums
- Local scheme construction
- Applying schemes outside their region
Module 3 - Age Dating and Resolution
- Age assignment from assemblages
- Resolution by fossil group
- Resolution by geological period
- Marine against non-marine resolution
- Sample density effects on resolution
- Recovery and preservation effects
- Confidence intervals on datums
- Graphic correlation methods
- Constrained optimisation methods
- Quantitative biostratigraphy in outline
- Stating age uncertainty
- Consequences of assumed resolution
Module 4 - Palaeoenvironmental Interpretation
- Environmental indicators by group
- Marine against non-marine indicators
- Salinity indicators
- Oxygenation indicators
- Benthic foraminiferal morphotypes
- Agglutinated against calcareous assemblages
- Palynofacies analysis
- Terrestrial and marine organic matter ratios
- Pollen and spore environmental signals
- Climate indicators
- Assemblage diversity and its meaning
- Combining indicators
Module 5 - Palaeobathymetry
- Benthic foraminiferal depth zonation
- Inner, middle and outer shelf assemblages
- Bathyal and abyssal assemblages
- Planktonic to benthic ratios
- Depth indicator species
- Modern analogue calibration
- Transported assemblages
- Downslope displacement
- Bathymetric curves from well data
- Relative sea level interpretation
- Accommodation and sequence interpretation
- Uncertainty in palaeobathymetry
Module 6 - Reworking and Caving
- Reworking mechanisms
- Recognition by preservation state
- Colour and thermal alteration differences
- Stratigraphic inconsistency
- Reworking and provenance information
- Caving in cuttings samples
- Recognition of caved material
- Lag and sample quality effects
- Contamination from drilling additives
- Distinguishing reworking from caving
- Effect on age interpretation
- Reporting reworking and caving
Module 7 - Correlation and Integration
- Biostratigraphic correlation methods
- Datum based correlation
- Assemblage based correlation
- Correlation confidence
- Integration with log correlation
- Integration with seismic stratigraphy
- Integration with chemostratigraphy
- Integration with sequence stratigraphy
- Resolving conflicts between methods
- Biostratigraphy in structurally complex wells
- Repeated section confirmation
- Building an integrated framework
Module 8 - Specification and Report Reading
- Specifying biostratigraphic work
- Objectives and the questions to answer
- Sample programme specification
- Fossil groups to analyse
- Real time against post-well analysis
- Turnaround requirements
- Report content requirements
- Reading a range chart
- Reading abundance and preservation data
- Reading uncertainty statements
- Challenging a biostratigraphic result
- Working with the biostratigrapher
Upon successful completion of this training course, delegates will be awarded an official Certificate of Completion issued by the Petroleum Engineers Association (PEA), an ISO 9001:2015 certified training organization. The certificate carries 10 Credits and formally records the total learning hours completed.
Each certificate is signed by the Course Facilitator and the CEO of the Petroleum Engineers Association, and serves as verifiable proof of professional training that delegates can present to employers and professional bodies worldwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
All course bookings made through PEA are strictly non-refundable. By registering for a course, you acknowledge and accept that all fees are payable in full and are not subject to refund under any circumstances, including changes in personal or professional commitments or partial attendance.
PEA reserves the right to make reasonable adjustments to course content, trainers, or schedules where necessary, without entitling delegates to a refund. Comprehensive details of each course — including objectives, target audience, and content — are clearly outlined before enrolment, and it is the responsibility of the delegate to ensure the course's suitability prior to booking.
For any inquiries related to cancellations or bookings, please contact our support team, who will be happy to assist you.
