Actively forming microbial mats provide insight into the development of microdigitate stromatolites.

ABSTRACT: Stromatolites can be traced back to ∼3.5 billion years. They were widespread in the shorelines of ancient oceans and seas. However, they are uncommon nowadays, and basic information is lacking about how these unique carbonate structures developed. Here we study the unusually thick (3-5 cm) biofilms of the 79.2 °C outflow from Köröm thermal well (Hungary) and demonstrate that its microbial mat - carbonate architecture is similar to fossilized microdigitate stromatolites. Our observations reveal vertically oriented fibrous mineral fabrics, typical of stromatolites, in the red biofilm and clotted mesostructures, typical of thrombolites, in the green biofilm. These layers contain carbonate peloids and show network structures, formed by filamentous microbes. The 16S rRNA gene-based amplicon seq

SUBMITTER: Makk J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11829031 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature