Fossils in thin section

Stromatolites and stromatoporoids in thin section

Stromatolites are layered microbial structures with no internal structure beyond their laminae. Stromatoporoids (possibly related to sponges) show a lattice of horizontal laminae and vertical pillars, which looks like a rectangular grid in sections parallel to growth.

**Stromatolites (A, C) vs stromatoporoids (B, D).** Michael C. Rygel via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source

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All fossil groups Carbonate classification

Sources

SEPM Strata: Skeletal Grains · Rygel & Quinton, Sedimentary Geology 9.7: Fossils in Thin Section