For about 4 billion years, the surface of our planet was completely lifeless. The structure and shape of the earth’s crust continuously changed under the influence of volcanic forces. Hot gases and water vapor were released from the earth’s interior, thus gradually changing the planet’s atmosphere, and water accumulated in the cracks, which later formed the primary ocean.
It was at the bottom of the ancient seas and oceans that the first life was born. Cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, appeared about 3.8 billion years ago and live in modern reservoirs to this day. Due to their ability to photosynthesize, oxygen began to accumulate in the atmosphere, which later allowed living organisms to leave the aquatic environment and develop land.
For a long time, as a result of the vital activity of blue-green algae and bacteria, complex carbonate, calcareous or dolomite layers up to 1,000 meters thick, i.e. stromatolites, were formed at the bottom of reservoirs. In Greek, this word means a stone layer.
The formation of stromatolites is a very slow process. First, in the mucous membrane of colonies of blue-green algae and bacteria, calcium extracted from water is released, which after the death of living organisms remains in the form of a carbonate crust. Then the cycle of joint growth of blue-green algae and bacteria is repeated, and layered strata of stromatolites, i.e. mats, are gradually formed.
Today, stromatolites are found in both fossil and living forms. In the fossil state, they can be found in Russia, Africa, Canada, and Australia. On the territory of Buryatia, they are found in the ridges of the Eastern Sayan.
Modern “living stones” are found only where no one feeds on them, and there are very few such places on earth. Their growth depends on the season and climate. For example, stromatolites up to 1 meter high are found in the coastal zone of warm seas, for example, in the shallow waters of the Atlantic coast of the Bahamas or Shark Bay near the coast of Australia. They look like slime-covered limestone barrel-like cobblestones with a diameter of one and a half meters.
It was at the bottom of the ancient seas and oceans that the first life was born. Cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, appeared about 3.8 billion years ago and live in modern reservoirs to this day. Due to their ability to photosynthesize, oxygen began to accumulate in the atmosphere, which later allowed living organisms to leave the aquatic environment and develop land.
For a long time, as a result of the vital activity of blue-green algae and bacteria, complex carbonate, calcareous or dolomite layers up to 1,000 meters thick, i.e. stromatolites, were formed at the bottom of reservoirs. In Greek, this word means a stone layer.
The formation of stromatolites is a very slow process. First, in the mucous membrane of colonies of blue-green algae and bacteria, calcium extracted from water is released, which after the death of living organisms remains in the form of a carbonate crust. Then the cycle of joint growth of blue-green algae and bacteria is repeated, and layered strata of stromatolites, i.e. mats, are gradually formed.
Today, stromatolites are found in both fossil and living forms. In the fossil state, they can be found in Russia, Africa, Canada, and Australia. On the territory of Buryatia, they are found in the ridges of the Eastern Sayan.
Modern “living stones” are found only where no one feeds on them, and there are very few such places on earth. Their growth depends on the season and climate. For example, stromatolites up to 1 meter high are found in the coastal zone of warm seas, for example, in the shallow waters of the Atlantic coast of the Bahamas or Shark Bay near the coast of Australia. They look like slime-covered limestone barrel-like cobblestones with a diameter of one and a half meters.
