Post #441

The rocks in this image of the Pilbara in northwestern Australia are some of the oldest rocks on Earth, over 3.6 billion years old. These iron-rich rocks formed before the presence of atmospheric oxygen, and life itself. Fossil stromatolites, or colonies of microbial cyanobacteria, dating to 3.45 billion years ago were found here. This image was captured by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument aboard NASA’s Terra satellite in Oct. 2004. The instrument was built by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. A joint U.S./Japan science team is responsible for validation and calibration of the instrument and data products.