6.9" Devonian Stromatolite Slice - Orkney, Scotland

This is a 390 million year old Stromatolite fossil from Orkney, Scotland. It has been cut and polished on one side, so the detailed layering can easily been seen. It comes with an acrylic 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.
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DETAILS
SPECIES
Stromatolite
LOCATION
Orkney, Scotland
FORMATION
Lower Stromness Flagstones
SIZE
6.9x4", 1/2" thick
CATEGORY
ITEM
#61073
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