Stunning Cryptozoon Stromatolites from Ordovician Wisconsin

Description: Coming from the Lower Ordovician Oneota Formation, this eminently aesthetic specimen is some 495 million years old, from a time that Prokaryotic life forms no longer had exclusive use of earth's shorelines. Concomitantly, the earth’s coastal habitats had markedly reduced stromatolite reefs, compared with those of the Proterozoic.

By this time in geological history, microbial communities consisted of complex consortia of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic forms with diverse metabolic needs, and competition for resources and differing motility among them made for an intriguing microcosm of interacting life.

The raw rock from which this stunning specimen was cut was acquired some years ago from a location that allows no further collecting, making this an extremely limited form. This remarkable specimen is appropriate for display, teaching or research, representing primitive prokaryotic life responsible for forming the atmosphere that we breathe today. Stromatolites have persisted to the modern day in such places as Shark Bay, Australia where they continue their billions of years old lifestyle.