AGM 2026 (Geology Section)

The AGM will be followed by a lecture from Dr Richard Porter and Dr Rosemary Stewart: “Little Things, Big Picture: The Development and Use of Palynology in Geology”.

The development of Palynology as a branch of Micropalaeontology is closely related to the development of the microscope. The lecture will follow this history and how the study of palynomorphs has become an important tool for the geologist, especially in the fields of hydrocarbon exploration, stratigraphy and palaeobotany.

The study of spore and pollen grains have become a very useful tool for the geologist as a means of dating the Palaeozoic rocks from the Devonian onwards. From the Mesozoic onwards other palynomorphs become increasingly important for dating rocks that are of a marine origin, where members of the microplankton called dinoflagellates demonstrate their worth to the exploration geologist.

The Cretaceous Period was marked by the evolution of flowering plants closely followed in the Tertiary by the development of grasses. These new plants produced pollen grains, which are more easily paired to their source plant than earlier spores and palynomorphs. This is especially useful as pollen can be matched with extant modern species. Pollen analysis is used to record proxy evidence of Quaternary vegetation history and climate change along with past ecosystems and to provide the traces of human influence on the biosphere. This compliments archaeological and climate research and directly informs botanical science.

A whole new world awaits a geologist when they look through the eyepiece of a microscope.