Stromatolite (Microbial), from Dresser Formation, Western Australia (REF:SS13)

The Dresser Formation is located within the East Pilbara granite greenstone terrane of the Pilbara Craton, Western Australia.  This area contains some of the world's oldest surface rocks, including the ancient fossilised remains known as stromatolites and rocks such as granites

Stromatolites of the Dresser Formation in Western Australia are the oldest known fossil material on the planet, 3,490,000,000 years old, that’s 3.4 billion years.

For many years Strelley Pool Stromatolites from the Pilbara region were the oldest known fossil remains of life on earth. But 40 years ago the discovery of the Dresser Formation Stromatolites, placed the North Pole Dome Stromatolites into the lead by more than 50,000,000 years. 

Stromatolites first appeared in the fossil record during the Archean Eon, 3 billion years ago. Cyanobacteria (blue green algae) living in shallow pools of water formed large colonies which are known as microbial mats, taking in light and carbon dioxide and producing mucus and calcium carbonate. Each layer of the microbial mat built upon the last, forming an intricate laminate structure, growing into fascinating patterns of limestone that would stand through the ages as evidence of the lives of the microscopic organisms.

Because Cyanobacteria have existed for an extremely long time, the traces of their early existence are one of the best records of the evolution of life and the environment of early Earth. There are many variations in the appearance of stromatolites, caused by environmental conditions and other factors with some patterns growing miles wide. They can also be found in many different shapes with flat, domical, branching, and conical formations.

Stromatolites are still being formed today. They can be found at the edges of hyper-saline lakes and marshes in many areas of the world as well as shallow, warm seas like those around the Bahamas and Australia.

The Ancient rocks from Western Australia are being used to guide scientists to the samples on Mars that are most likely to hold signs of past life. 

By understanding the morphologies and microstructures of these stromatolites, scientists will be better equipped to identify similar samples on the Martian surface that might also once have held signs of life. 

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