Stromatolite Slab from Bolivia (with stand) bc39badc492c4c2d735262d41ea798bb Calcium carbonate from the shells

Calcium carbonate from the shells of these creatures began to take a new form over time

rating a 9 on the Moh’s scale

Quartz is composed of silica (SiO2)

or may build into larger formations

Topaz occurs in the igneous rock rhyolite

Stromatolite Slab from Bolivia (with stand) bc39badc492c4c2d735262d41ea798bb Calcium carbonate from the shellsBillions of years ago, Cyanobacteria, (Blue Green Algae) was the most abundant life form on our planet, forming in lakes, oceans, on rocks or almost anywhere there was moisture. These bacteria are credited for the creation of most of the Earth's oxygen. Over long periods of time, some of these bacteria worked its way through sand and other sediments, binding it together, dying off and then eventually transforming it into stone. That stone is known as