New interesting fossil find
I came across this ScienceDaily article
Two-ton, 500 Million-year-old Fossil Of Stromatolite Discovered In Virginia, U.S.
My first thought was, "wow, two tons", that's a big fossil. My second thought was, "what the hell is a Stromatolite?".
Luckily the article explains that.
The fossil is apparently in a rare good condition, so this find is quite exciting.
There is a bit more over at the Virginia Museum of Natural History
Two-ton, 500 Million-year-old Fossil Of Stromatolite Discovered In Virginia, U.S.
My first thought was, "wow, two tons", that's a big fossil. My second thought was, "what the hell is a Stromatolite?".
Luckily the article explains that.
Stromatolites are among the earliest known life forms, and are important in helping scientists understand more about environments that existed in the past.
A stromatolite is a mound produced in shallow water by mats of algae that trap mud and sand particles. Another mat grows on the trapped sediment layer and this traps another layer of sediment, growing gradually over time. Stromatolites can grow to heights of a meter or more. They are uncommon today but their fossils are among the earliest evidence for living things.
The fossil is apparently in a rare good condition, so this find is quite exciting.
There is a bit more over at the Virginia Museum of Natural History
Labels: fossils
posted by Kristjan Wager at 6:35 PM
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3 Comments:
What a great non-traditional name for a child.
"Stromatolite K. Wager! You stop pulling your sister's hair right now!"
Heh. Don't think that name will fly in Denmark (where there actually are rules on what you can name your child)
Not as old and heavy as the previous 3 billion plus year old stromatilites found elsewhere in the world, but at least it proves that all stromatilites aren't all the same age, and are one of the oldest life forms, (living fossils) that still exist today. Very cool!
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