Fossils, stromatolites, from Western Australia were created by microbes 3.48 billion years ago
Layered rocks in Western Australia are among the earliest known forms of life on Earth, according to a new study. The fossils in question are stromatolites, layered rocks formed by the secretions of photosynthetic microbes. The oldest stromatolites, which scientists believe were created by living organisms, date back 3.43 billion years, but there are older examples. Stromatolites dating back 3.48 billion years have been found in the Dresser Formation in Western Australia.