Building
a Stomatolite:The Process
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a layer of sediment, generally
calcium carbonate covers a growing mat of bacteral filaments,
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photosynthesis in the bacteria
deplete carbon dioxide in the surrounding water, initiating the precipitation
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minerals, along with grains of
sediment precipitating from the water, are trapped within the sticky layer
of mucilage that surrounds the bacterial colonies
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filaments penetrate the material
and colonize the surface to reform a new algal film
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process produces a sequence of
laminae where one layer will be organic rich and the other sediment-rich
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one of the most important factors
in the growth rate and character of the algal film is the availability
of sediment
