Thursday, January 12, 2012

Billion Year Old American Fossils

Kona Dolomite dated to over 2 billion years old.  Thought to be a cyanobacteria colony (stromatolite).  Found in the Kona Hills of Marquette County, Michigan.  These early oxygen producers paved the way for more advanced lifeforms of the future.


These pieces were cut off a larger block and have just been sanded down.  I started using a sanding wheel with a belt sander attachment for the first time.  Sure beats doing it by hand as I have done in the past! Next step is to hand sand these pieces with wet sandpaper and then polish it with the Dremel tool.


The slabs were photographed wet to bring out nice colors.

Thanks to Kenny for helping me cut the slab with a diamond saw.