Published July 2015  •  Updated February 2024  •  Read Time: 6 minutes
Stromatolite is a fascinating fossil that shows us the very beginning of life on earth.  While it may look like nothing more than swirls and spots, it actually is a fossilized version of a colony of blue-green algae.  In a few precious locations, “living rocks” have been found where the algae colonies are still growing and thriving.  Two of the more accessible locations in which to see them are Shark’s Bay, Australia and the Bahamas.  Even though it is generally considered an ancient organism and an ancient fossil, new algae colonies can form today in the right conditions.  Stromatolite encourages us to love biodiversity and to be fiercely protective of the planet.

Stromatolite stromatolite meaning

Stromatolite Meaning

Spiritual Healing Properties

Stromatolite awakens us to the beauty of life, helping us to cherish and protect its diversity. It encourages us think beyond ourselves, and think instead of the generations that will come after us and the world we want them to inherit. Stromatolite can aid us in exploring our ancestral lines and how our past affects our present. Stromatolite encourages us to look to the past for wisdom, to live with respect, and to look to the future with love.

Metaphysical Properties Stromatolite
Chakra Root
Element Earth
Numerology 1 and 8
Zodiac Aries and Virgo

Emotional Healing Properties

Stromatolite has an exceptionally grounding and peaceful energy, which can teach us both patience and resilience. It reminds us that we are the sum of billions upon billions of ancestors, and that their strength and determination to survive and thrive is genetically gifted to us. With such strength in us, we can surely overcome any problem we face with grace and dignity. In turn, it is our responsibility to show others, particularly younger generations, how to live well.

Mental Healing Properties

Stromatolite is an incredible tool for mental agility, helping us to see both the macro and micro levels of any situation. Stromatolite encourages us to think about systems, connections, and to actively seek out practical solutions to problems big and small. Its calm energy encourages us to be patient while we research, learn, and experiment, thus allowing us to gradually put the pieces together and quietly work for the Greater Good of All. Stromatolite is a fantastic talisman for earth scientists, particularly biologists and ecologists, as well as health care workers, particularly infection control practitioners.

Physical Healing Properties

Stromatolite is used by metaphysical healers to treat bacterial infections. It is also believed to be useful for treating diseases and disorders passed down genetically.

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Stromatolite Mineralogy

Where does Stromatolite come from?

Stromatolites were formed when the Earth’s continents were still fused together as a supercontinent. As a result, Stromatolites can be found all over the world. Some of the more notable locations include Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Madagascar, Mexico, Mongolia, Namibia, Peru, South Africa, and the United States.

Mining and Treatments

Little information is available about the mining of Stromatolites, except that they are almost certainly mined at their primary deposit. Most of the brown/black Stromatolites currently on the market are described as being “from Peru.” In reality, most would have been mined in the Andes Mountains of central Bolivia, near the city of Cochabamba, and then sold in Lima, Peru to dealers. These particular Stromatolites are estimated to be between 2.2-2.4 billion years old.

All Stromatolites are completely natural, enhanced only by tumbling, cutting, and polishing.

Stromatolite Placeholder
Stromatolite

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Mineral Family

Stromatolite is not a mineral, but rather a very unique kind of sedimentary rock. An easy way to understand the difference is that rocks are like cookies and minerals are ingredients such as flour or sugar. Many different minerals are used to create a rock! Stromatolites typically form as Limestone, so their main mineral ingredient is usually Calcite. These varieties are typically brown or grey, with black markings. Occasionally they form as Sandstone, with the main mineral ingredients being Quartz or Feldspar.  Regardless of their color or mineral composition – what makes Stromatolites so unique is that these sedimentary rocks contain fossils of the earliest life forms on this planet!

At one point, it was thought that Kambaba Jasper was a form of stromatolite since it has similar spots.  It was theorized that it was a sandstone fossil and that green Feldspar had given it a distinctive color.  But scientific testing has since shows that Kambaba Jasper is actually a Rhyolite, similar to Rainforest Jasper, Ocean Jasper and others.

Stromatolite’s energy works well with its family – other sedimentary rocks.  Try it in combination with Dragon’s Blood Jasper, Outback Jasper, and Septarian Nodule

Stromatolite Formation and Crystal Associates

Stromatolites are formed in shallow, salty water teeming with microorganisms, particularly cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). These tiny living creatures form massive colonies and sediments, such as sand and mud, get stuck to the sticky surface of this living mass of cyanobacteria. The sediments are gradually set down in layers and react to the trace minerals in the water. Over time, they form Limestone or Sandstone rocks, often shaped like a mushroom or a loaf. While underwater, the Stromatolite is “alive” – part cyanobacteria colony, part sedimentary material. If the water evaporates, or other conditions change, the cyanobacteria dies and the structure hardens further. At this point, it becomes a more typical sedimentary rock – but one containing microscopic fossils of the cyanobacteria. Stromatolites are some of the oldest rocks on the planet, with some examples dating back over 3.5 billion years! Stromatolites are still being formed today in a few rare locations. As a result, Stromatolite is often called a “living fossil.”

Stromatolite’s energy works well with its “friends” – crystal associates formed in the same geological environment.  Try it in combination with other marine fossils like Agatized Coral, Sand Dollar Fossil, Shell Fossil and Vatican Stone

Mineralogy Stromatolite
Rock Type Sedimentary Rock (Limestone) created by cyanobacteria
Major Minerals Calcite
Minor Minerals None
Color Varies by type of rock, usually brown or gray with black markings, but can also be red or green with black markings
Texture Laminated layers
Transparency Opaque
Special Features Fossil

History of Stromatolite

Stromatolite was “discovered” relatively recently by the metaphysical community and so it is not included in virtually any ancient or modern lapidaries, texts that describe gemstones and their powers. Its name comes from the Greek words stroma (layers)and lithos (rock). While there are no known myths about this stone, it has a fascinating geological history!

Stromatolites are created by single-celled microorganisms called cyanobacteria, more commonly known as blue-green algae. Cyanobacteria are arguably the most successful living entities on the planet! They are the most genetically diverse, and occupy the broadest range of habitats, across all latitudes, including land, fresh and salt water, and extreme niches such as hot springs and hypersaline bays. The reason for this incredible diversity is that cyanobacteria has had the most time to evolve of any living creature. In fact, cyanobacteria are the oldest known example of life on earth – dating back at least 3.5 billion years (a billion years after the Earth first formed). They formed first and are still alive today, having survived all five of the Earth’s Mass Extinctions! From an evolutionary perspective, cyanobacteria are our oldest ancestor – the very original Adam and Eve. The reason we know all about cyanobacteria’s incredible history is because the oldest traces of cyanobacteria have been preserved in the fossil record – in Stromatolites.

While some Stromatolites are very old and have become simple fossil-bearing sedimentary rocks, other Stromatolites are still alive with active colonies of cyanobacteria. Modern Stromatolites have been found in hypersaline lakes and marine lagoons with an exceptionally high saline level, extreme environments that few other living creatures can stand. These modern Stromatolites are located in Australia, Bahamas, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and Turkey. The most well known are those in Shark Bay, in Western Australia and Exumas Bay in the Bahamas.

One of the most interesting modern Stromatolites were discovered in an open pit pond – formed in an abandoned asbestos mine near Clinton Creek, Yukon, Canada. These Stromatolites are the youngest ever found, and presumably only started growing after the mine closed in 1978. They are forming Limestone Stromatolites and grow by approximately half a centimeter per year.

Sharks Bay, Stromatolite

“Living Rocks” of Shark’s Bay, Australia

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