The earliest fossil evidence of life on Earth, stromatolites are layered deposits of cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae. The layers of bacteria create reefs, or mats, over time that trap sediment to form the layers you see here. This specimen is Ozarkcollenia, a distinctive type of layered Precambrian era (prior to 541 million years ago) stromatolite unique to Missouri and named after the Ozark Mountains where it is found.
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