Palynology in Hydrocarbon Exploration (The Indian Scenario): Part III: Developments in Dinoflagellate Cyst Biostratigraphy and Source Rock Evaluation in the Mesozoic-Cenozoic Sediments of Petroliferous Basins

Contents: Foreword. Acknowledgements. 1. Introduction. 2. Category - I Basins. 3. Distribution of Dinoflagellate Cysts in Indian Petroliferous Basins. 4. Conclusions and future areas of research. References. Appendix. 

Examination of posthumous organic debris in sedimentary rocks under the optical and electron microscopes involving the observation of ornamentation and degree of preservation of organic fossils (5-500 microns) such as spores, pollen, dinoflagellate cysts, acritarchs, nannofossils (0.25-30 microns seen under electron microscopes) and study of the entire complex of dispersed organic matter in sedimentary rocks (5 to 500 microns) is the subject matter of science of Palynology. 

Palynology is a specialized branch of Paleobotany. While work on organic fossils helps in fine tuning occurrence models of petroleum in each stratigraphic era along with assessment of depositional environments of various fine grained rocks which may act as source rocks of petroleum.