Billions of years ago, the first lifeforms on this planet were cyanobacteria living in shallow pools of water, 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 called stromatolites.

This specimen is a fragment of Strelley Pool Stromatolite from the Dresser Formation in Western Australia, measuring 4.99" in length along the longest side. It is one of the oldest sources of stromatolites on Earth at around 3.43 billion years. The specimen comes with a metal stand, and an individual certificate of authenticity is also included.