More than 200 delegates from around the world will assemble at the University of Houston
(UH) next week to share research and discoveries about oil and the environment at
an international conference on the economic and environmental use of fossils.
Specifically examining microfossils, which are invisible to the naked eye, the scientists
who participate in this quadrennial gathering represent leaders in various branches
of stratigraphy, the branch of geology that studies rock layers in the Earth’s crust.
Notable presenters will include the authors of the last decade of geologic time scales,
which are a system of chronological measurements that relate stratigraphy to time.
These time scales are used by geologists, paleontologists and other earth scientists
to describe the timing and relationships between events that have occurred throughout
Earth’s history.
The conference, Geologic Problem Solving with Microfossils III, will be held at UH
March 10-13. Kicking off the activities will be poster sessions at the Hilton UH Sunday and Monday evening, with oral presentations taking place Monday through noon
Wednesday in room 100 of the Science and Engineering Classroom building.
“We will have some of the world leaders in research on global time scales presenting
at this conference. They are the keepers of the keys to time for the fossil record
over the course of the last 550 million years in sedimentary rocks,” said Don Van
Nieuwenhuise, director of Professional Geoscience Programs at UH in the Department
of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. “They also are keeping track of available age data
back into the Precambrian age, extending as far back in time as 4.5 billion years
ago. The work of hundreds of scientists from all over the world entails integrating
data generated from the Earth, Moon, Mars and Venus.”
The various presentations lined up will show how microfossils are used to understand
environmental conditions, such as global warming and cooling, from prehistoric times
to the present. Talks also will cover how microfossils are used to age-date rocks,
as well as provide clues to finding oil and gas resources not only in conventional
sand and limestone, but also unconventional shale plays.
In addition to discussions of practical applications in oil and gas exploration and
production, Van Nieuwenhuise says basic science about stratigraphy and environmental
monitoring will be showcased. Since microfossils are found in abundance in oil and
gas well samples, scientists can then link the environmental signals of similar living
microscopic organisms, flora and fauna in a region, also called microbiota, to understand
the fossil and rock record.
“This has led to the use of these organisms as environmental monitors for various
forms of pollution,” he said. “Once researchers determine the baseline abundances
and distributions of microbiota in a given habitat, we can then determine if pollutants
have disrupted their habitat and populations. Some microbiota develop deformities
related to pollutant influences and other environmental stresses.”
Intended to reflect today’s broadening application of micropaleontology, presentations
will include talks on the microfossil record of major oceanic events, microfossils
and unconventional resources, reconstructing past environments using microfossils,
paleoclimatology and paleoceanography related to sea-level change, and new technologies
and techniques in microfossil studies.
Sponsored by the North American Micropaleontology Section of the Society for Sedimentary
Geology, this conference broadly focuses on the use of microfossils for solving geological
problems. Initiated in 2005 and held every four years, this event has been well received
and growing in attendance. Attendees of past meetings have said the open problem-solving
theme of the conference and the broad participation of specialists from varied disciplines
creates a rich environment for collaboration and sharing of ideas and knowledge.
For more information on the conference, visit http://www.sepm.org/nams/m3.htm. For a list of presentations, visit http://www.sepm.org/nams/M3OralProg.pdf.
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About the University of Houston
The University of Houston is a Carnegie-designated Tier One public research university
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