Microfossils

Overview

Microfossils are found in rocks and sediments as the microscopic remains of what were once life forms such as plants, animals, fungus, protists, bacteria and archaea. Terrestrial microfossils include pollen and spores. Marine microfossils found in marine sediments are the most common microfossils. Everywhere in the oceans, microscopic protist organisms multiply prolifically, and many grow tiny skeletons which readily fossilise. These include foraminifera, dinoflagellates and radiolarians. Palaeontologists (geologists who study fossils) are interested in these microfossils because they can use them to determine how environments and climates have changed in the past, and where oil and gas can be found today.