Stromatolites under Microscope: What am I looking at?

[ivanbok]

Hi everyone, 

 

I have been collecting fossils for some time, but this is my first post in the forum. 

 

I've recently acquired a stromatolite slab from the Strelley Pool formation. I have access to a laboratory compound microscope, and I was wondering if there is anything interesting that can be seen under magnification. 

 

I understand that I probably won't be able to see microfossils of any sort in this magnification, but I'm just wondering whether there are any interesting/discernible structures. 

 

I have an image that I took via this microscope attached below, and I can see dark clusters and white flakes amidst layered brown bands. Are these ordinary rock inclusions or does anything indicate past biological activity? 

[Fossildude19]

Moved to Micro-Paleontology.   

 

Brightened: 

 

[ThePhysicist]

You will likely need to make thin sections to see anything interesting. Most structures are on the order of tens of microns. You probably also need chemical analysis to distinguish some biogenic structures from volcanic/geologic ones, or some knowledge of their morphology and size/spacial distributions.

 

 

^from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012821X18300396

[ivanbok]

Interesting. I guessed as much, I'd likely need transmission microscopy to see any of these structures. 

 

Looks like I'd just be admiring them rather than try to view it through a microscope, since I don't have the necessary equipment to make thin slices. 

 

Thank you! 

Edited April 13, 2021 by ivanbok