6" Polished Linella Avis Stromatolite - 800 Million Years

This is a small, polished slice of Neoproterozoic stromatolites of the species Linella avis, collected from the Eliot Range Dolomite in East Kimberley, Western Australia. One side has been nicely polished to a glossy finish.

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
Linella avis
LOCATION
East Kimberley, Western Australia
FORMATION
Eliot Range Dolomite
SIZE
6 x 2.5", .3" thick
CATEGORY
ITEM
#180042
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