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[Exhibition guide number:1302]
Stromatolite Limestone / Banded Iron Formation
The rock with a concentric striped pattern is a 2 billion year old stromatolite. Stromatolites are calcareous rocks formed from cyanobacteria, also known as primitive blue-green algae, which assimilated sand grains. Cyanobacteria photosynthesized and thereby pumped a large amount of oxygen into the seas and atmosphere.
The rock with a red striped pattern to the right is made of banded iron formation. 2.5 billion years ago, the iron dissolved in seawater oxidized as a result of the increased cyanobacteria activity, becoming iron oxide, which then sedimented at sea bottom.