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Kambaba Stone: How it Transformed Earth's Atmosphere

Kambaba Stone: How it Transformed Earth's Atmosphere
Did you know that kambaba jasper is more than just a stone used to make handmade jewelry? It’s actually the remains of ancient organisms responsible for the atmosphere as we know it. 
Kambaba Jasper Specimen
During Earth’s history, the atmosphere was very different from what we know today. The early atmosphere was composed primarily of nitrogen and carbon dioxide and was void of free oxygen needed to support life. Approximately 3.6 billion years ago, cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, began forming algal mat layers in saltwater lagoon environments. These bacterial mats grew on top of one another while producing a limestone-type byproduct resulting in mounds of algal limestone known as stromatolites, which, when fossilized, are Kambaba stone. For this reason, Kambaba Jasper is sometimes also referred to as Green Stromatolite Stone.

Stromatolite field in Western Australia
Stromatolites on a laguna beach at low tide.

The appearance of cyanobacteria and stromatolites completely transformed the Earth’s atmosphere as this was the first photosynthetic organism capable of fixing carbon dioxide gas into oxygen using sunlight - laying the foundation and building blocks for life as we know it today. Cyanobacterial stromatolites can be observed at present in lagoons of Australia and New Zealand.

Stromatolites in a lagoon.

Stromatolites observed in Western Australia.

So the next time you put on your handmade jewelry crafted with Kambaba Jasper Stone beads, remember that you are wearing a fossil from one of the most important evolutions of Earth's history.

Comments on this post (18)

  • Oct 18, 2023

    Super cool! I saw some of these Stromatolites while visiting Australia recently. I was so curious as to what they were! Now I know!

    — Harvest

  • Jun 07, 2023

    Thank you very interesting. Love this stone!

    — Barbara

  • Jan 02, 2023

    Hi! Thanks for the info.

    Did you know it’s actually Kabamba Jasper? It was first named in Kabamba, Madagascar.

    You probably knew that but I would bet most people don’t!

    I love your products. Thank you!

    — Cyndi Ammons

  • Dec 01, 2022

    Thanks for this information. Very informative.

    — Noreen

  • Sep 28, 2022

    Thanks for share awesome information.

    — Guerla Raines

  • Sep 28, 2022

    Very interesting information on a stone that I had not considered. I look forward to learning about other stones that I would purchase after learning the history. If you have any prior articles of stones, I would love to read them and possibly purchase. Thank you very much and have a Blessed day.

    — Genora

  • Sep 28, 2022

    Wow! Thanks for providing some background to the beads that you sell! I have never had information like this sent to me from any other bead company to learn about the materials we use! Please keep this up!

    — Marla

  • Sep 28, 2022

    Very very interesting facts thank you so very much

    — Albee

  • Aug 18, 2022

    Love the information shared about the wonderful gemstones! Thank you!

    — Charlotte

  • May 03, 2022

    So very cool! Thank u for that article. Pls send more like this :)

    — Nikki

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