Kambaba Jasper / Stromatolites

Kambaba Jasper, Stromatolites, colonial structures created by Cyanobacteria (commonly called blue-green algae) are among the oldest fossils on earth, being found in rocks over 3 billion years old. Once the dominant life form on the planet, Stromatolites are now found in only a few places, such as Madagascar.

Cyanobacteria form these mound-like structures by growing through sediment, binding the particles together resulting in successive layers which, over very long time periods, may harden to form rocks. These structures may be from fractions of an inch to several feet in diameter.

Cyanobacteria were likely responsible for the creation of earth's oxygen atmosphere. They were the dominant life form on Earth for over 2 billion years. Today they are nearly extinct, living a precarious existence in only a few localities worldwide.

Fossil Stromatolites constitute our earliest and most pervasive record of life on Earth. Although many Stromatolites are fossils, there are a number of locations on the modern-day Earth where Stromatolites are still forming.

Kambaba Jasper is a rare fossilized jasper from Madagascar. Jasper is a micro crystalline variety of Quartz, a silicon dioxide mineral with a hardness of 6.5 to 7. Jaspers can include up to 20% foreign materials, which account for its wide variety of colors and patterns.

Kambaba Jasper (sometimes called Kabamba Jasper) from Madagascar. It is a Stromatolite Jasper, which means that it is composed of fossilized algae.