stromatolite

noun

stro·​mat·​o·​lite strō-ˈma-tə-ˌlīt 

: a laminated usually mounded sedimentary fossil formed from layers of cyanobacteria, calcium carbonate, and trapped sediment

stromatolitic

strō-ˌma-tə-ˈli-tik 

adjective

Examples of stromatolite in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That first day on the Northwest Passage is far and away the most colorful, the tundra dappled with the autumn colors and shore excursions to view the two-billion-year-old stromatolites at Port Epworth, an area nominated for UNESCO World Heritage status. —Joe Yogerst, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025

Made of sand or minerals, stromatolites can reach five metres tall. —Joshua Rothman, The New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2024

At the time, most researchers thought the key to figuring out whether a stromatolite-like pattern had been shaped by primitive microbes or geologic forces was to scrutinize a sample micrometer by micrometer. —Charlie Wood, Popular Science, 8 Mar. 2021

Their complexity suggests that life was in existence long before these first stromatolite fossils grew. —Tim Flannery, The New York Review of Books, 17 Nov. 2020

Word History

Etymology

Latin stromat-, stroma bed covering + English -o- + -lite

First Known Use

1930, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for stromatolite

• actinolite
• adipocyte
• amphibolite
• anorthosite
• anthophyllite
• aragonite
• carbonatite
• cassiterite
• cristobalite
• crocidolite
• diatomite
• dithionite