In this presentation you will get to know about aspects of paleobotany, about coal and petroleum exploration and its extraction and how paleobotany is related to coal and petroleum.

1. z
Applied Aspects Of
Paleobotany;
Use In Coal And
Petroleum Exploration
Made by – Niharika
Plant Biology Plant Biotechnology

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Aspects of Paleobotany
To decipher paleo - vegetation and
paleoclimate.
Provide evidence for origin and
evolution of plants
To ascertain paleophytogeography
Calculation of age of the rocks.

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TO DECIPHER PALEOVEGETATION
AND PALEOCLIMATE
 Some plants escape from final destruction and survive
as fossils. These plant fossils serve as tool for past
vegetational studies.
 From remote geological past a correlation exists
between fossil plants and their surrounding
environments which serve as an index for the
interpretation of the past climate.

4. z
PROVIDE EVIDENCE FOR ORIGIN AND
EVOLUTION OF PLANTS
 The study of fossil plants has an importance in understanding the origin and evolution of
different plant groups through ages.
 A most dramatic event took place in the history of plant life i.e. the evolution of land plants
during Silurian period.
 To acquire terrestrial habit leaving their aquatic habitat the plants needed to be self-supportive
and they had to be able to withstand the drying effect of the atmosphere leading to a series of
adaptations, such as development of cuticle in their outer surface to check desiccation,
formation of roots as anchoring and absorptive organ, stomata for gaseous
exchange, vascular tissue for conduction.
 Thus, during Silurian-Devonian periods more and increasingly complex fossil plants rep-
resented by Rhyniopsida appeared with such adaptive features. Gymnosperms became
more successful than the pteridophytes by having selective advantage of seed formation.
 This group of plants first appeared in the Devonian period and reached a climax in the Mesozoic
Era which constituted the world’s dominant vegetation. Still later, at the end of Mesozoic Era
(early Cretaceous) the angiosperms got evolved and became dominant replacing most of the
pteridophytes and gymnosperms.

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TO ASCERTAIN
PALEOPHYTOGEOGRAPHY
 The fossil evidence shows a clear floral continuity ranging in age
from the Upper Carboniferous to the beginning of the
Cretaceous.
 Hitory prici
 Epidemo
 Forcast
 Scope andsig
 variation

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CALCULATION OF AGE OF
THE ROCKS
 Radioactive elements are generally used for dating the rocks. But
sometimes, index fossils are used to date a rock of unknown
origin. Any index fossil the rock contains must be carefully
studied with precise information about its systematics and age.
Using of such index fossils the age of an unknown rock can be
determined.

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APPLIED ASPECTS OF
FOSSIL PLANTS
Exploration of oil is done by;
Determining the thermal
alteration index:
Palynostratigraphy
Defining of ancient
shorelines

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APPLIED ASPECTS OF
STUDYING FOSSIL PLANT
 To provide useful information in the exploration of fossil fuel like coal and oil.
 The plant inhabitants of Palaeozoic - Mesozoic swamps served as a
source of coal and formed coal seams. Accumulation of plant materials with
a variety of minerals coupled with mud, silt and other organic materials constitute
a coal bed. Many plant parts get beautifully preserved as fossils in the stratified
sedimentary layers which are closely adjacent to coal layers.
 Palaeobotanical studies have served as a tool to ascertain age of coal layers,
their lateral extent and quality of coal deposits. In India, the palaeobotanical
study has helped to demarcate the nature and quality of Raniganj coal (Permian
Age) from that of Rajmahal coal (Jurassic Age).

9. z EXPLORATION OF OIL IS
DONE BY;
DETERMINING THE THERMAL
ALTERATION INDEX:
 The sporopollenin present in the walls of pollen and spores
undergo post depositional thermal changes in course of the
geological ages. These thermal changes brought about
carbonisation resulting in changes in exine colour of fossil
pollen and spores in transmitted light.
 Pearson’s colour chart directly relates exine colour to a
numerical index called Thermal Alteration Index (TAI)
which is a measure of the degree of carbonisation.

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PALYNOSTRATIGRAPHY
 To avoid unnecessary and costly drilling the determination of oil
zone is made by comparing the biostratigraphic data of one to
those of the others.

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DEFINING OF ANCIENT
SHORELINES
 The sediments parallel to sea shore are rich in oil. The density of
pollen and spores decreases in the seaward direction.
Sedimentary environment with pollen assemblages are limited
to near shore marine or lacustrine waters. Thus by the study of
microfossils along with marine microfossils if presents, one can
determine the distance and direction of ancient shore lines,
possibly bearing oil deposits.

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USE IN COALAND
PETROLEUM EXPLORATION

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PETROLEUM EXTRACTION
PROCESS
STEP 1: PREPARING THE RIG SITE
STEP 2: DRILLING
STEP 3: CEMENTING AND TESTING
STEP 4: WELL COMPLETION
STEP 5: FRACKING
STEP 6: PRODUCTION AND FRACKING FLUID RECYCLING
STEP 7: WELL ABANDONMENT AND LAND RESTORATION

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PETROLEUM EXPLORATION

15. z COAL FORMATION

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TYPES OF COAL

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PROCESS OF COAL
EXTRACTION

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COAL EXPLORATION
 Remote sensing - Using radar, sonar, satellite images to gain
information from a distance. These images help us to locate
possible mining sites, as well as study existing mining sites for
possible expansion.
 Geophysical methods make use of geology and the physical
properties of the minerals to detect them underground.
 Geochemical methods combine the chemistry of the
minerals with the geology of an area to help identify which
compounds are present in the ore and how much of it is
present.
For example, when an ore body is identified, samples are
taken to analyse the mineral content of the ore.

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EXTRACTING ORES
SURFACE MINING UNDER GROUND MINING
SHAFT MINING PILLAR MINING

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CONNECTION

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ROLE OF PLANTS IN THE
FORMATION OF COAL
 Richard Kirwan, the famous Irish chemist argued that coal was a
mineral deposit and was not of organic origin.
 Parkinson, the English naturalist, contended that it was of
vegetable origin.
 He demonstrated that by the fossil plants found within coal.
 The botanical origin of coal was further strengthen by extraction
of spores from coals and later by analysis of coal thin sections.
 It is clear that the study of fossil plants has played an important
role in our understanding of coal.

22. z
FACTORS AFFECTING COAL FORMATION
Environment Water
Animals Plants

23. z
A MIRE AS A DYNAMIC
SYSTEM
HERBACEOUS OR
SHRUBY PLANTS
ABUNDANCE OF
SPORES AND
CUTICLES
EXINITE
LARGE TREE
ABUNDANT
WOODY TISSUE
VITRINITE
SMALL SHRUBS
LARGE AMOUNT
OF WOOD
CARDAIXYLON
TREES LOT OF PITH
CALAMITES,
LYCOPODS
CARBONIFEROUS PERIOD

24. z
REFERENCES
 SIYAVULA - MINING IN SOUTH AFRICA
https://intl.siyavula.com/read/science/grade-9/mining-of-mineral-resources/25-
mining-of-mineral-resources?id=toc-id-14
 THE SEVEN STEPS OF OIL AND NATURAL GAS
EXTRACTION
https://www.cred.org/seven-steps-of-oil-and-natural-gas-extraction/
 PETROLEUM EXPLORATION
http://www.oil-gasportal.com/upstream/petroleum-exploration/?print=pdf

25. z
Thank you