6.1" Polished Strelley Pool Stromatolite Slab - 3.43 Billion Years Old

This is a fascinating, 6.1" wide slab of Strelley Pool stromatolite. The Strelley Pool stromatolites from Western Australia are an astounding 3.43 billion years old, making them some of the oldest known remains of life on Earth. This specimen has been cut flat and polished to a glossy finish on one side.

An acrylic display stand will accompany your purchase.

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.
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DETAILS
SPECIES
Strelley Pool Stromatolite
LOCATION
Pilbara, Western Australia
FORMATION
Strelley Pool Formation
SIZE
6.1 x 5", .4" thick
CATEGORY
ITEM
#273568
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