This unidentified organic material (algae?) comes from the 150-million-year-old Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation of central Montana. It was found in a terrestrial carbonate mound currently considered to be a tufa deposit. Obviously the microphyte has some rough edges, but it’s well preserved for 150 million years old. Lol. The average diameter of the “pores” is between 25‒30μ. The surrounding white material is calcium calcite of the encasing tufa. The discharging tufa water is thought to have been cool and fresh. Looking for a modern algal cousin. Thanks!
Hey Dean!
I am not sure what information you are specifically looking for, but any modern examples would do in your case (Big Soda Lake tufa, Lake Salda stromatolites, Shark Bay stromatolites, etc.).
Here is a great reference to start with:
Riding, R., 2000, Microbial carbonates: the geological record of calcified bacterial–algal mats and biofilms: Sedimentology, v. 47, p. 179–214, doi:10.1046/j.1365-3091.2000.00003.x.
Email if you have more specific questions and I will share more references specific to your research (if I have any).
Cheers and be safe!
Cansu
