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All Australia Cervantes Lake Thetis

Lake Thetis

One of the few places in the world home to living stromatolites.

Cervantes, Australia

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AFrenchyExplorer
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Stromatolite.   AFrenchyExplorer / Atlas Obscura User
Lake Thetis Stromatolites   MarkTimeTravel / Atlas Obscura User
  AFrenchyExplorer / Atlas Obscura User
Lake Thetis   AFrenchyExplorer / Atlas Obscura User
Stromatolites / Thrombolites.   AFrenchyExplorer / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Just outside the town of Cervantes, in Western Australia, there is a lake that doesn’t seem like much at first sight, but it happens to be home to a very precious life form, cyanobacteria.

These very primitive bacteria were among the very first life forms present on Earth, more than three billion years ago. They are even thought to be responsible for producing the oxygen that later enabled more complex life forms to thrive on Earth.

These colonies of bacteria form globular structures called thrombolites and stromatolites. The difference between the two is that their internal structures are not the same. Thrombolites have a cluster-like structure, whereas stromatolites are made of layers of microbes. On the outside, they look like strange rounded rocks. These structures develop over the course of several thousands of years.

The stromatolites and thrombolites have survived thanks to the high salinity of the lake, limiting the survivability of predators. It's now one of the few places on the planet where one can still see these living fossils. Other locations include Lake Clifton and Shark Bay, also in Western Australia.

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Lakes Natural Wonders Nature Water

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Lake Thetis is easily accessible via a gravel road, and there is less than a mile (1.5 km) hiking trail to follow around the lake.

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AFrenchyExplorer

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MarkTimeTravel

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Published

June 30, 2020

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Lake Thetis
Cervantes, WA 6511
Australia
-30.507222, 115.080556

Nearby Places

The Pinnacles

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Cervantes

Cervantes

Australia

Places 2

Nearby Places

The Pinnacles

Cervantes, Australia

miles away

The Leaning Tower of Gingin

Yeal, Australia

miles away

Atlantis Marine Park

Two Rocks, Australia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Cervantes

Cervantes

Australia

Places 2

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