fossil stromatolite from wyoming

navigate by keyword : algae austinii big blue codonophycus domes eon fossil fossilized geology green horn laminated layers limestone mississippian mountains oxygen paleobiology period photosynthesis photosynthetic sediment shallow stromatolite stromatolites tidal waters wyoming

Image shows a fossil stromatolite collected from the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming. Stromatolites were formed by blue-green algae under shallow, tidal waters where laminated domes formed by grains of sediment being trapped on the algaeÃ¢â¬â¢s sticky surface. Stromatolites produced and released oxygen which became an abundant gas in our atmosphere for the first time. . This species (Codonophycus austinii) was found in the Mississippian Period (Madison Limestone) making it about 325-347 million years old.