Subject: Geology

Institute: Science
Class: B.Sc. Semester VI
Paper: GLB-601 (Paleontology)
Topic: Types of Microfossils (Calcareous)

Dr. Dinesh Kumar Naik

Assistant Professor
Department of Geology
Institute of Science
Banaras Hindu University
Varanasi 221 005
Email: [email protected]
Types of Microfossil
Category (Shell Microfossils Size range (m) Affiliation Geological Age Geographic
Type) Range distribution
Calcareous Foraminifera 10 – 100,000 Unicellular Cambrian - Recent Marine benthic
tests Protozoa and planktic

Ostracods 100 - 500 Multicellular Cambrian - Recent Marine,

Eukaryote, Lacustrine,
Arthropoda Fluvial
Pteropods 500 - 20000 Multicellular Upper Cretaceous Marine planktic
shells Eukaryote, - Recent
Mollusca,
Gastropoda
Calpionellids 30-150 Protozoa, Infusoria Upper Jurassic – Marine planktic
Upper Cretaceous

Calcareous algae >10 Algae, Cambrian - Recent Aquatic, moist-

Cyanophyta/ environment
Chlorophyta/
Charophyta
Bryozoa <500 Multicellular Ordovician - Marine/ Non-
Eukaryotes, Recent marine sessile
Bryozoa
Cocolithophores 2 - 20 Protist, Algae Triassic - Recent Marine planktic
Mosaic skeleton (nanofossils)
Spicules, plates of 50 - 1000 Multicellular Cambrian - Recent Marine, shallow
Echinoderms Eukaryotes, water
Echinodermata
Siliceous Radiolaria 50 - 2000 Protozoa Upper Cambrian - Marine planktic
Recent

Diatoms 0.75 – 2000 Protist, Algae Jurassic - Tertiary Aquatic to sub-

aquatic
environment
Silicoflagellates 10 - 100 Protist, Cretaceous - Marine planktic
autotrophic Recent
flagellate Algae
Ebrideans 30 - 60 Protist Paleocene - Marine planktic
Recent
Chrysomonads 9-12 Protist, Algae, Cretaceous - Fresh water
(nanofossils) Chrysophyta Preset
Phosphatic Conodonts 50-2000 Uncertain: extinct Lower Ordovician
agnathan to Mid-Triassic
chordates

Organic-walled Chitinozoans 50-3000 Uncertain Cambrian- Marine

Devonion
Dinoflagellates 5-2000 Flagellate Algae Triassic - RecentMarine, non-
(nanofossils) marine
Acritarchs 5-500 Protist Paleoproterozoic - Marine, non-
(nanofossils) Recent marine
Scolecodonts 100-40000 Annelids Cambrian -
Recent
Spores and Pollens 20 - 200 Angiosperms and Silurian - Recent Continental
(nanofossils) Gymnosperms vegetation
Calcareous: Foraminifera, Ostracod, Pteropod, Calcareous algae,
Cocolithophores, Bryozoa

Siliceous: Radiolaria, Diatom, Silicoflagellate

Phosphatic: Conodonts

Organic walled: Dinoflagellates, Spores and Pollens

 Calcareous microfossils

Foraminifera
• Foraminifers are unicellular protozoans. They belong to the eukaryotic kingdom
Protista. They are preferentially marine microorganism but few fresh water
forms are there but they don’t have hard shell. The shell of foraminifera is
known as test. The shell can be either calcareous or agglutinated where the clay,
silt and sand sized sediments are cemented together.
• Based on the wall structure, the secreted test are further distinguished as
microgranular, porcelaneous and hyaline types.
• Based on their habitat, they are of two types, benthic and planktic. Benthics are
bottom dwellers and planktics, they live in the water column.
• In the present ocean a total range of 3200 to 4200 living benthic foraminiferal
species and about 40 planktic foraminiferal species have been reported. Among
the extant form, about 2200 species of benthic foraminifera have been reported
(Murray 2007).
 Ostracodes:
These are minute segmented crustaceans belonging to the phylum Arthropoda, living
both as benthic and planktic, with their body covered by cuticles which secrete a
bivalve shell, known as carapace. They range in age from upper Cambrian to Recent.

1. Essentially marine taxa that are able to tolerate reduced and/or fluctuating salinities:
Semicytherura , Leptocythere , Propontocypris .

2. Essentially non-marine taxa that can tolerate increased salinities: species of Darwinulina and
Candona .

3. Truly brackish water taxa that may tolerate but are not usually found in fresh waters: species of
Loxoconcha , Leptocythere .
The brackish water species Cyprideis torosa is known to survive in abnormally high salinity of >50 ‰.
Pteropods:
Marine planktic gastropods, Sea-butterflies, live in water column, Calcareous
(Aragonite), shell less stable , mostly restricted to Quaternary.

These are also known as sea-butterflies, are

marine gastropods adapted to pelagic life.

They have aragontic shell, that are

susceptible to solution, so pteropod fossils
are preserved between ~300 to 700 m
depths.

The thin and fragile shells of pteropods

further limit their preservation in pre-
Quaternary geological records. In view of
this, the stratigraphic utility of this group is
limited.
Applications of Pteropods:
The influence of temperature, salinity and productivity of their distribution,
however, makes them useful in paleoceanography and the paleoenvironmental
reconstruction of Quaternary successions.

Scientists have seen the negative effects of ocean acidification on pteropods

and are studying these organisms to better understand the problem.

Primary productivity is another important ecological factor in the distribution

of pteropods. An understanding of the present-day distribution of pteropods in
relation to productivity has led to the reconstruction of productivity changes in
glacial-interglacial intervals.

Temperature has a major influence on their distribution and many species have
a limited tolerance for it. For example:
The cold-temperate species include Limacina retroversa and Clio pyramidata
pyramidata .
The warm water of the tropical regions species includes: Cavolina , Creseis ,
Clio , Limacina , Styliola and Diacria .
Coccolithophores
These are unicellular autotrophic marine algae, having a calcareous covering called
coccosphere, around usually spherical cell. They range in age from Jurassic to Recent.
Application:
Tropical (above 29 °C): Umbellosphaera irregularis , Gephyrocapsa oceanic a and Emiliania
huxleyi constitute nearly 100 % of the total flora Tropical (>21 °C): Umbellosphaera
irregularis , Gephyrocapsa oceanica

Subtropical (14–21 °C) Gephyrocapsa ericsonii , Rhabdosphaera stylifera , Discosphaera

tubifera

Transition (6–14 °C): Gephyrocapsa caribbeanica , Coccolithus pelagicus , Emiliania

huxleyi

Subarctic (6–14 °C): Emiliania huxleyi

Image from Researchgate.net