Handbook of the Study and Description of Microbialites

Microbialites represent one of the oldest forms of life on Earth, and the most abundant form of early life available for scientific study. There has long been a need for a more rational and consistent approach to how stromatolites and other microbialites are described and recorded in the literature, which is met in this new textbook on microbialite study and terminology.

Major features
The handbook, the result of five decades of work and expertise by the two world-renowned authors, aims to be a highly practical guide for both experienced and new microbialite workers by:

• its extensive use of conceptual diagrams and large format colour photos to illustrate the key features of microbialitesshowcasing microbialites in the field, and in the extensive collections of GSWA, University of California Santa Barbara, and other institutions
• collating and distilling worldwide expertise across many geographic and stratigraphic settings for microbialites, ancient and modern
• proposing a Code of Microbialite Nomenclature to resolve a serious disadvantage to existing and future microbialite systematics.