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Mid-Precambrian prokaryotes(?) from the Belcher Islands, Canada

Abstract

SPECULATION about the Precambrian biosphere and about evolutionary history is slowly being substantiated and modified by new palaeontological evidence from many regions. I present here more such evidence—a preliminary report of the discovery of a well preserved stromatolitic microflora from cherty dolostones of the Belcher Supergroup in Hudson Bay. This microflora may provide important information about the stage of algal evolution about 2,000 Myr ago, and about stromatolite genesis. Futhermore, the well preserved cellular biofabric facilitates description of the development of primary stromatolitic microstructure permineralised in situ by silica, and its subsequent modification (Fig. 1a) by carbonate diagenesis into a secondary microfabric, which is important in stromatolite taxonomy.

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HOFMANN, H. Mid-Precambrian prokaryotes(?) from the Belcher Islands, Canada. Nature 249, 87–88 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1038/249087a0

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