On the way to Kalbarri we stopped at Hamelin Pool to see the stromatolites which link life on earth today with life on earth over 3.5 billion years ago.
Stromatolites are layered limestone rock which were built by single celled bacteria called cynobacteria (blue-green bacteria). They were discovered here by a group of geologists in June, 1954.
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| The Boardwalk allows viewing while protecting the stromatolites |
We learned that stromatolites dominated the earth for over 2 billion years, taking oxygen out of the water and putting it into the atmosphere. Without the oxygen that they produced we very well may not be here today! Amazing huh?
Some stromatolites were built like towers, while others were soft and spongy. The ones below are quite eroded, and the rusty colour is thought to be a result of iron particles.
In an effort to avoid a Kalbarri mega-post, I'd planned to blog about some of our time in Kalbarri now. Unfortunately Telstra is being most uncooperative, disconnecting me at least 5 times while working on this short post, so I will have to try again when we have a better connection. See you then!
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