FUSULINIDS FROM THE WILLISTON BASIN AS A TOOL TO STUDY PAST ENVIRONMENTS AND BIOSTRATIGRAPHY: BROOM CREEK AND AMSDEN FORMATIONS (PERMOCARBONIFEROUS?)

Fusulinids, within the order Foraminifera, are single celled organisms that exist in the fossil record from late in the early Carboniferous all the way to the Permian extinction 252 million years ago. The rapid evolution of these small fossils in the fossil record has proven useful forstudying past environments and biostratigraphy.

The samples of fusulinid fossils were collected from the Broom Creek and Amsden Formations in the subsurface of the Williston Basin in west-central North Dakota. Samples were collected from a depth of over 6000 ft. It is important to examine formations in this area because of its untapped potential for carbon storage. This potential is thought to be significant due to porosity and permeability of aeolian and nearshore sand facies and other interbedded facies functioning as seals that occur in the middle and upper parts of the formation. The fusulinid fossils that are abundant in the upper part of the Broom Creek could provide valuable information about age and past environment, hence giving a better understanding of the area and its suitability for future carbon storage plans.