The stratigraphic importance of fossils is never more apparent than in attempts to unravel the complexities of metamorphic terrains. The age and stratigraphic relationships of the thick metasedimentary and metavolcanic succession of Prins Karls Forland, western Svalbard, have been the subject of investigation and debate since the early part of this century (Hoel 1914; Craig 1916; Tyrrel 1924), and sharply different interpretations have been proposed (e.g. Harland et al. 1979; Hjelle et al. 1979). Until now, such interpretations have been unconstrained by palaeontological data, an understandable consequence of the metamorphic alteration undergone by these rocks. In this paper, we report the discovery of stratigraphically useful microfossils preserved in chert nodules from carbonaceous, dolomitic shales on northern Prins Karls Forland. These fossils have significant implications for the stratigraphic and structural interpretation of Forland metasediments, as well as for the more general problem of palaeontological prospecting in severely deformed and metamorphosed terrains, including those characteristic of the Archean Eon.

中文翻译：

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斯瓦尔巴特群岛西部Prins Karls Forland沉积的微化石。

化石的地层重要性从未比试图揭示变质地形的复杂性更为明显。自本世纪初以来（Hoel 1914; Craig 1916; Tyrrel 1924），斯瓦尔巴群岛西部的普林斯·卡尔斯·福兰德普林斯·卡尔斯·福兰德厚厚的沉积沉积和火山爆发演替的年龄和地层关系一直是研究和辩论的对象，解释也截然不同已提出（例如Harland等，1979； Hjelle等，1979）。迄今为止，这种解释还没有受到古生物学数据的限制，这是这些岩石经历的变质作用的可理解的结果。在本文中，我们报告了在Prins Karls Forland北部碳质，白云质页岩中发现的在硅酸盐结节中保留的地层有用微化石的发现。