And here, all this time we thought it was the seismic data. Hmmmm. Have to have a talk with the guys in geophysics....
As oil becomes more difficult to find, better exploration techniques help keep oil production economical. Seismic data gives us the reflectivity of different layers of strata, but it doesn't tell us the whole story. When looking for oil, micropaleontology helps us understand the environment at the time sediments were laid down, and this helps us determine which formations are likely to contain oil deposits. Micropalenontology is also helpful when looking for coal, for the same reason.
The OP, mlc852, on these threads has repudiated the earth sciences, because they show no evidence whatsoever for a global flood around 5,000 years ago. So she won't be interested in anything that the geophysics boys have to say any more than she is interested in hearing from the biologists. She also said, prior to that that her only argument is with evolution, so either (a) she is one confused bunny, or (b) she is one of the many creationists who calls all science that contradicts her religious beliefs "evolution". That particular inanity is more common than you might think. She has a lot of opinions about all kinds of stuff, but remains strangely (well, not strangely at all) evasive whenever the subject of creationists lying under oath in the courtroom comes up.