Skip to main content
  • 946 Accesses

Abstract

There are two aspects of processing micropalaeontological samples that have to be considered when interpreting and evaluating the fauna within the residue. Firstly, the effects of mechanical and chemical techniques employed during collection, disaggregation, maceration and residue dispersal must be eliminated. Secondly, sample reliability in reflecting a fauna contemporaneous with the time of deposition must be assessed. Discussions of the effects of sample processing can be found in other sections (see sections 14 DISAGGREGATION AND DISPERSAL OF PARTIALLY CONSOLIDATED AND UNCONSOLIDATED SEDIMENTS, 16 WASHING AND SIEVING TECHNIQUES USED IN MICROPALAEONTOLOGY and 17 CENTRIFUGE TECHNIQUES USED IN MICROPALAEONTOLOGY), and will only briefly be outlined here.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 219.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • AUSTIN, W. E. N. 1994. Disturbed foraminiferal stratigraphies–a cautionary tail. Cushman Foundation Special Publication. 32. 155–159.

    Google Scholar 

  • BAUMGARTNER, P. 0, BJORKLUND, K. R, CAULET, J-P, DE WEVER, P, KELLOGG, D, LABRACHERIE, M, NAKASEKO, K, NISHIMURA, A, SCHAAF, A, SCHMIDT-EFFING, R and YAO, A. 1981. EURORAD II, 1980 -Second European meeting of radiolarian paleontologists: current research on Cenozoic and Mesozoic radiolarians. Eclogae Geologicae Helvetiae. 74, (3), 1027–1061.

    Google Scholar 

  • BRASIER, M. D. 1981. Microfossil transport in the tidal Humber basin, pp 314–322: In; J. W. Neale and M. D. Brasier (eds), Microfossils from Recent and Fossil Shelf Seas. Ellis Horwood (Chichester). 380 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • COLTHURST, J. R. J and SMITH, D. G. 1977. Palaeontological evidence for the age of the Lower Palaeozoic rocks of the Slievenamon Inlier, County Tipperary. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 77B, 143–148.

    Google Scholar 

  • CULVER, S. J and BANNER, F. T. 1978. Foraminiferal assemblages as Flandrian environmental indicators. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 24, 53–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • EATON, J. G, KIRKLAND, J. I and DOI, K. 1989. Evidence of reworked Cretaceous fossils and their bearing on the existence of Teriary dinosaurs. Palaios. 4, 281–286.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • EMO, G. T and SMITH, D. G. 1978. Palynological evidence for the age of the Lower Palaeozoic rocks of Slieve Aughty, Counties Clare and Galway. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 78B, 281–292.

    Google Scholar 

  • FIORILLO, A. R. 1998. Measuring fossil reworking within a fluvial system: an example from the Hell Creek Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of eastern Montana, pp 243–251: In; Y. Tomida, L. J. Flynn and L. L. Jacobs (eds), Advances in Vertebrate Paleontology and Geochronology. National Science Museum Monographs (Tokyo). xii + 292.

    Google Scholar 

  • FOURCADE, E and BUTTERLIN, J. 1988. Reworked and redeposited larger foraminifers on slopes and in basins of the Bahamas, Leg 101. Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Results. 101, 47–61.

    Google Scholar 

  • HAY, W. W. 1977. Calcareous nannofossils, pp 1055–1200 (techniques 1056–1069): In; A. T. S. Ramsay (ed), Oceanic Micropalaeontology ( 2 Volumes ). Academic Press (London). xii + 1453.

    Google Scholar 

  • JONES, D. J. 1958. Displacement of microfossils. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology. 28, (4), 453–467.

    Google Scholar 

  • KONTROVITZ, M, SNYDER, S. W and BROWN, R. J. 1978. A flume study of the movement of foraminifera tests. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 23, 141–150.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • LOFGREN, D. L, HOTTON, C. L and RUNKEL, A. C. 1990. Reworking of Cretaceous dinosaurs into Paleocene channel deposits, upper Hell Creek Formation, Montana. Geology. 18, 874–877.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MARTIN, R. E. 1988. Benthic foraminiferal zonation in deep-water carbonate platform margin environments, Northern Little Bahama Bank. Journal of Paleontology. 62, (1), l-8.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCAFFREY, W. D, BARRON, H. F, MOLYNEUX, S. G, KNELLER, B. C. 1992. Recycled acritarchs as provenance indicators: implications for Caledonian terrane reconstruction. Geological Magazine. 129, (4), 457–464.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • NIGAM, R and SEITY, M. G. A. P. 1980. Paleogene reworked foraminifera in Recent sediments off Daman, Western India. Proceedings of the 3rd Indian Geological Congress, Poona. 273–280.

    Google Scholar 

  • RILEY, L. A and KING, A. D. 1973. Causes of unreliability in microfossil samples. The Mercian Geologist. 4, (3), 197–203.

    Google Scholar 

  • STANLEY, E. A. 1966. The problems of reworked pollen and spores in marine sediments. Marine Geology. 4, 397–408.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • TURNER, R. E. 1982. Reworked acritarchs from the type section of the Ordovician Caradoc Series, Shropshire. Palaeontology. 25, (1), 119–143.

    Google Scholar 

  • WHITE, D. E, BARRON, H. F, BARNES, R. P and LINTERN, B. C. 1991. Biostratigraphy of late Llandovery (Telychian) and Wenlock turbidite sequences in the SW Southern Uplands, Scotland. Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh: Earth Sciences. (at press).

    Google Scholar 

  • WILLIAMS-MITCHELL, E. 1948. The zonal value of foraminifera in the Chalk of England. Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association. 59, (2), 91–112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • WILSON, L. R. 1964. Recycling, stratigraphie leakage, and faulty techniques in palynology. Grana Palynologica. 5, (3), 425–436.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2001 Owen R. Green

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Green, O.R. (2001). Microfossil Sample Contamination and Reliability Problems. In: A Manual of Practical Laboratory and Field Techniques in Palaeobiology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0581-3_15

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0581-3_15

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-90-481-4013-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-017-0581-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics