Stromatolite
Geological Time: Late Cretaceous, Maastrichtian Age (~70 million years ago)
Size: 160 mm by 130 mm by 5 mm thick (maximum)
Fossil Site: Eastern Andes South of Cochabamba, District of Cochabamba, Bolivia
Fossil Code: DS1678
Price: Sold
 Description:
This is an exceptional example the Earth's oldest fossil, stromatolite,
from an unusual South American Cretaceous formation. This slab of
stromatolite was cut and polished perpendicularly to the individual
colonial layers and thus exhibits multiple colored growth rings. The
stromatolite has been polished to a mirror finish on one side, vividly
rendering the inherent beauty of stromatolite and making apparent
the biogenic process in its formation. Once thought o be Proterozoic
in age, it has subsequently ben determined to be Late Cretaceous,
just a few million years prior to the extinction of the dinosaurs.
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. |
