File:Slimy Beach 2017-09-30 1750.jpg

Summary[edit]

Camera location	39° 41′ 01.37″ N, 105° 11′ 34.02″ W	View this and other nearby images on: OpenStreetMap	39.683715; -105.192783

Microbial mats consist of microorganisms (like cyanobacteria) that form on sediment in layers, creating a carpet-like surface that is spongy and pock-marked.

The fossil microbial mats at Dinosaur Ridge formed on sand beaches in the supratidal zones, where very high tides would saturate and feed the mat and then quickly drain away. These events supplied nutrients and provided mobility to the microorganisms. Rapid burial preserved the microbial mats.

The main fossil microbial mat surface at Dinosaur Ridge displays most of the life cycle of a microbial mat:

1. The smooth gray surface was a healthy fully developed mat surface. 2. This depression represents the start of the degradation process (possibly caused by dinosaur footprints). 3. The wavy surface shows further deterioration of the mat where large ripple marks formed.

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