Book excerpt: Many papers have noted the association between micropaleontology and petroleum exploration, but no book has ever provided a comprehensive and thematic treatment. This book attempts to do just that. It begins with an overview of pure micropaleontology, then treats the principles and practice of applied micropaleontology and sequence stratigraphy; case studies of applications in various geographic, geologic, and stratigraphic settings are given. The final section deals with applications outside petroleum exploration, with sections on environmental monitoring, coal mining, mineral exploration and exploitation, and engineering. Extensively illustrated and referenced, this book will benefit academic and commercial paleontologists.