Ian W. Burch

TL;DR: A multi-kilometre-scale palaeontological and palaeoenvironmental study of the Strelley Pool Chert, in which the first morphotype-specific analysis of the structures within their palaioenvironment and refute contemporary abiogenic hypotheses for their formation are undertaken.

TL;DR: The Strelley Pool Formation in Western Australia contains a reef-like assembly of laminated sedimentary accretion structures (stromatolites) that have macroscale characteristics suggestive of biological influence as discussed by the authors.

TL;DR: The 3.43 billion-year-old Strelley Pool Chert, Pilbara Craton, Western Australia, contains compelling evidence of Early Archaean life in the form of kilometre-sized remnants of an ancient stromatolitic carbonate platform as mentioned in this paper.

TL;DR: The authors measured rare earth elements and selected trace elements in 48 samples of carbonate and chert from stromatolites and associated facies in the 3.45 billion year old Strelley Pool Formation, Pilbara Craton, Western Australia.

TL;DR: Unique aspects of the taphonomy of gypsum compared to carbonate chemical sediments, generally speaking, include the potential for growth of individual crystals to determine the shape of a stromatolite (and possibly vice versa), a more diverse set of outcomes relating to preservation versus destruction of textures through crystal growth and recrystallization, and a greater likelihood of preserving microfossils through encapsulation in large crystals.