Stromatolite Slab Bolivia 01

This Stromatolite Slab is from Bolivia. It is 6 inches by 4 inches and is cut on one side. The cut surface shows the many layers of the fossil. These fossils are the remains of blue-green algae or cyanobacteria. Stromatolites are some of the oldest fossils on earth. This stromatolite fossil is from the Cretaceous Period. Not too long ago this type of stromatolite was beleived to be much older, from the Proterozoic Era and about 2.3 billion years old. More recent research has them dated to the Cretaceous Period, Maastrichtian Stage.They come from the Miraflores Formation of Bolivia in South America.