Are Stromatolites Signs of Life?

An Iconoclasts View

Dr. Frank Corsetti

Stromatolites are domed, laminated structures classically interpreted to represent organosedimentary structures built by the trapping and binding or precipitation of minerals by
microbes (typically cyanobacteria). As such, stromatolites are commonly considered
biosignatures (signs of life), and when found in ancient strata on Earth, or perhaps some
extraterrestrial locale like Mars, their presence would be considered a sign of life.
Modern marine stromatolites would support this claim. But are stromatolites unequivocal
evidence for life? On the one hand, there is no doubt that some (perhaps most)
stromatolites on Earth were formed with biologic influence. On the other, recent work
has demonstrated that stromatolite-like structures have formed in the absence of biologic
input and are difficult to differentiate from biogenic structures at the macroscopic scale.
Here, several examples of stromatolites will be presented and evaluated as primarily
biogenic or abiogenic, modern marine stromatolites will be investigated for their veracity
as ancient analogues, and the concept of stromatolites as biosignatures will be revisited.
In sum, most of the evidence for biogenicity of stromatolites is found at the microscopic
scale, such that studies on Earth and elsewhere should include microscopic investigation.

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