6.4" Polished Shark Bay Stromatolite Fossil - 1.65 MYO

Polished Shark Bay Stromatolite Fossil - MYO #39053

This is a 6.4" wide, polished slice of 1.65 million year old Stromatolite fossils from near Shark Bay in Western Australia. Shark Bay also happens to be one of the most famous locations where modern day stromatolites are found. Oncolytic stromatolites are spherical rather than domal in nature and are formed around a nucleus such as a shell fragment or grain of sand.

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.

Please note:Australia has export laws governing the export of all fossils. These specimens were exported legally with appropriate permits.