New multi-scale perspectives on the stromatolites of Shark Bay, Western Australia

A recent intensive field program at Shark Bay, Western Australia, has revealed that coccoid cyanobacteria, not filamentous ones, dominate the microbial mats forming lithified stromatolite buildups, contradicting traditional views. This discovery was enabled by multi-scale mapping and molecular studies, which identified eight distinct 'Stromatolite Provinces' with unique geographic distributions of stromatolite structures. Additionally, analysis of internal fabrics showed pervasive microcrystalline carbonate precipitation in microbial mats, suggesting parallels with Precambrian stromatolites. These findings advance our understanding of benthic ecosystems on early Earth and provide a foundation for further studies on stromatolite morphogenesis.

Suosaari, E. P., Reid, R. P., Playford, P. E., Foster, J. S., Stolz, J. F., Casaburi, G., Hagan, P. D., Chirayath, V., Macintyre, I. G., Planavsky, N. J., & Eberli, G. P. (2016). New multi-scale perspectives on the stromatolites of Shark Bay, Western Australia. Scientific Reports, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/srep20557