Stromatolites of America

It is common to think of Australia when stromatolites are mentioned owing to the famous Shark Bay living stromatolites, as well as the bacterial microfossils and molecular fossils found in inland Australia that date to before 3 billion years ago. In fact, however, American North, South and Central) has numerous outcrops of stromatolites spanning across the continent as well as geological time. Older stromatolites are particularly abundant in the Northern states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota dating from about the upper Archaean to the Lower Proterozoic, including expansive banded iron formations that stand as testament to the rusting of the earth.

The American stromatolites image gallery below has specimens that have been cut and polished to a mirror finish. While rough stromatolites are generally dull and unremarkable in appearance, the fine polishing renders the inherent beauty of the oldest fossils on earth, including a myriad of colors and much variation in form genera and lamination structure.