Palynology is basically the study of pollen and spores, both fossil and recent. Many students of modern pollen are allergists, whereas the fossil pollen student is generally referred to as a palynologist.

Most hayfever suffers become acutely aware of the presence of modern pollen and spores during the summer months. These pesky little bodies have long played key rolls in the annual plague of itchy eyes and runny noses. However, their fossil cousins have received relatively little attention until the last few decades. During this time their presence has been noted in rocks of all geologic ages dating to the Silurian.

Pollen and spores are the male and female reproductive bodies of the flowering and non-flowering plants, respectively. They are produced by the countless trillions by plants everywhere and are distributed to the four corners of the globe by winds and water. Everyone has observed the yellow film on a high mountain lake, or the yellow "smudge" on a garment after contacting the goldenrod blossom. This yellow "smudge" is pollen dust. The individual pollen grain is of microscopic size, about 3,000 of them fitting side by side on the head of a pin. In spite of their extremely small size they are hardy little individuals, being relatively indestructible both physically and chemically. For this reason they have become important to the geologist. They are widely distributed by winds and water o all environments of deposition and then may be buried and preserved to furnish a fossilized record of geologic events of the area.

Palynologists have been able to utilize the pollen record for (1) age determinations, (2) correlations, (3) climatic interpretations, (4) depositional environmental interpretations (associated micro-microfossils), and (5) oil migration and accumulation studies. The application of the science of palynology is relatively new to the petroleum industry and new and better techniques as well as continued experience may yet add other uses to the ever-growing science.

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