Moodies Crinkles Microbial Mat Barberton [51883] South Africa

The "Moodies crinkles" are mats found on land made of silica material in the Dycedale Syncline. They differ from the Saddleback Syncline fossil microbial mats, only found in a shallow water environment. The intriguing thing about these two synclines and their microbial mats is that they display a physical change from an environment based in water to one on land.

The transition from water to land required significant changes in the organism's structure and form. The microstructures indicate a tightly woven, dense network with small particles mixed in with filamentous strands that hold onto different types of biofilms. The preserved mats on land are thicker than those in the ocean (specifically, in Saddleback Syncline), and the Moodies crinkles were the early ancestors of stromatolites.

Moodies crinkles specimen size: 48mm L X 58 W X 8mm D; Weight: 42.6 grams; The back and front are lightly polished.

Ships with Certificate of Authenticity and information about the specimen. Tag stand included. Specimen stand and photo cube not included. PHOTOS in situ and a copy of relevant scientific articles included.

This material was legally collected and obtained in a materials trade with a scientific institution.

You can own a premier Moodies Crinkles to study the oldest fossilized traces of microbial mats on land from our young Archean Earth.