Work in the micropalaeontology laboratory is aimed at extracting inorganic-walled microfossils (principally foraminifera, ostracods, diatoms and conodonts) from sedimentary rock samples. The microfossils are used in a range of studies, including biostratigraphical dating, palaeoenvironmental analysis, climate change impacts and studies of biodiversity. Other recent contributions have contributed to the identification and dating of tsunami deposits from Hawaii and Bermuda. Samples prepared in the laboratory in recent years have ranged in age from Carboniferous to Holocene, and have come from the U.K. and its continental shelf, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Papua New Guinea, Ecuador and Antarctica. BGS staff using the micropalaeontology laboratory collaborate with staff in other laboratories, for example for radiocarbon dating.
Example of an Ostracod.
Example of Conodonts.
The development on non-acid preparation techniques in the palynology laboratory has had the advantage that siliceous microfossils (such as diatoms and radiolaria) can be studied on the same slide as organic-walled microfossils.
For further information, please contact:
Stewart
Molyneux
Biostratigraphy
British Geological Survey
Keyworth
Nottingham NG12 5GG
Tel: 0115 936 3430
