The extant shore platform stromatolite (SPS) facies association: a glimpse into the Archean?

Shore platform stromatolites (SPS) provide a unique modern analogue for Precambrian fossil stromatolites, offering insights into ancient microbial ecosystems. These SPS, found along southern African coasts, southwest Australia, Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland, and the Scottish Hebrides, thrive on well-indurated shore platforms in high wave energy settings, often near headlands. Unlike other extant stromatolites, SPS primarily form through mineral precipitation, with minor trapping and binding. The study suggests that SPS could be preserved in the geological record as micritic lenses on palaeo-shore platform surfaces, despite differing atmospheric and oceanic conditions from the Archean. Additionally, terraces associated with former oceanic or lacustrine flooding surfaces on Mars are proposed as potential targets for searching palaeo-SPS, expanding the scope of astrobiological research.

Smith, A., Cooper, A., Misra, S., Bharuth, V., Guastella, L., & Botes, R. (2018). The extant shore platform stromatolite (SPS) facies association: a glimpse into the Archean? Biogeosciences, 15(7), 2189–2203. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2189-2018