17.5" Polished Stromatolite (Baicalia) Slab - Australia

Polished Stromatolite (Baicalia) Slab - Australia #208189

This is a stunning, 17.5 x 12.4", polished stromatolite (Baicalia capricornia) section from the Irregully Formation of Western Australia. One face has been cut and polished to a glossy-finish, while the other side has been left in its raw state. It weighs in at just under 17 lbs and is accompanied by a metal display stand.

Stromatolites are the layered trace fossils of microbial life, primarily cyanobacteria. Some of them date back an astounding 3.4 billion years, making them the oldest record of life on Earth! Stromatolites and Microbialites were typically formed in shallow water by the growth of layer upon layer of cyanobacteria, a single-celled, photosynthesizing microbe. These layers often form very beautiful and colorful banded structures in the rock.

These oxygen-producing cyanobacteria were so simple they lacked a DNA-packaging nucleus, but were responsible for possibly the largest changes the earth has undergone. They were the only major source of atmospheric oxygen critical for the development of more complex life.