Weekly Photo Challenge: Old

This is something really, really old!

The photo was taken at Hamelin Pool,  Shark Bay, Western Australia and shows one the oldest forms of life on this planet. I’m talking about a type  of bacteria, cyanobacteria, which are found in these rock  structures  called Stromatolites . Their existence can be dated back up to 3,450 million years. You can’t see them, but the tiny oxygen bubbles they produce are indeed visible in the shallow clear waters of the bay. There are only a few places on earth where this ancient form of life persists – Western Australia being one of them.

I edited the photo with GIMP (posterize) to add a bit of colour. I thought the tiny creatures deserve some brightening up… ;-)