Growth of modern branched columnar stromatolites in Lake Joyce, Antarctica
- Authors
- Type
- Published Article
- Journal
- Geobiology
- Publisher
- Wiley (Blackwell Publishing)
- Publication Date
- Jun 30, 2015
- Volume
- 13
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 373–390
- Source
- SETI Institute
- License
- Unknown
Abstract
Modern decimeter-scale columnar stromatolites from Lake Joyce, Antarctica, show a change in branching pattern during a period of lake level rise. Branching patterns correspond to a change in cyanobacterial community composition as preserved in authigenic calcite crystals. The transition in stromatolite morphology is preserved by mineralized layers that contain microfossils and cylindrical molds of cyanobacterial filaments. The molds are composed of two populations with different diameters. Large ...