The study of palynomorphs (small, nearly indestructible fossils) is generally included in the field of palynology, along with the study of polospores. Palynomorphs and polospores are included in a group of fossils sometimes designated as micro-microfossils because of their small size. Work in the Williston Basin and other areas containing Paleozoic carbonate rocks indicate that certain groups of palynomorphs make an ideal tool for use by the subsurface geologist. These fossils, chiefly the Chitinozoa (possibly an extinct order of marine protozoans) and Tasmanites (probably a family of fossil algae), may be concentrated in and recovered from the insoluble residue from drill chips utilized in the course of normal sample examination. They are well adapted for use as an aid i solving problems of correlation, zonation, and age-dating. In the Williston Basin the Chitinozoa and Tasmanites have been used as an aid in the reconstruction of the Ordovician surface section, in the subdivision of this section, and in carrying these subdivisions into the subsurface. These micro-micro-fossils have aided in the solution of structural problems, and offer possibilities as a tool for age-dating of Paleozoic rocks over very wide areas.

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