In 2009, researchers discovered the presence of stromatoliths at Laguna Socompa; stromatoliths are layered structures formed by microorganisms when their metabolism causes the accumulation of minerals.
These are the first stromatoliths found in Argentina and the highest site where stromatoliths have been recorded to date; their existence was the reason why the lake was made a protected area.

The discovery of stromatoliths at Laguna Socompa and the extreme conditions that exist there offers insights into the development of early life on Earth as microbe-formed structures like stromatoliths were the main traces of life from between 3.5 and 1.5 billion years ago before stromatoliths declined between 1 and 0.7 billion years ago due to the development of burrowing and grazing lifeforms.
Previously stromatoliths were known mainly from marine and carbonatic environments such as in the Bahamas, the Coorong Lagoon and Shark Bay in Australia, the Lagoa Salgada in Brazil and the Laguna Bacalar in Mexico.
The Laguna Socompa stromatoliths are the first to be discovered at elevations exceeding 3,500 metres (11,500 ft); the presence of active hot springs may be responsible for their formation.

These stromatoliths have a layered structure and cone-like shapes that sometimes overlap and then form large domes, unlike the bushy or crustose stromatoliths found elsewhere, and are found underwater on the southern shores of the lake, protected from the strong UV radiation.
They have a layered structure, with the layers having distinct appearances on the surface and inside of the stromatolite.
The UV protective carotenoid pigment deinoxanthin gives them a pink colour.
Unusually, some stromatoliths are formed out of halite rather than the more common aragonite/carbonate although aragonite and silica are their most important building materials.

The dominant bacteria in the stromatoliths are Microcoleus cyanobacteria and deinococci in the surface; there are also eukaryotic algae, diatoms.
Other taxa include Desulfobacterales, Rhodobacteraceae and Spirochaetes and mostly represent novel lineages; the extreme conditions of these high elevation lakes lead to high extremophile diversity.
Some of the Laguna Socompa stromatoliths are classified as Conophyton stromatoliths, which are otherwise only known as Precambrian (over 541 ± 1 million years old) fossils.
In 2009, researchers discovered the presence of stromatoliths at Laguna Socompa; stromatoliths are layered structures formed by microorganisms when their metabolism causes the accumulation of minerals. These are the first stromatoliths found in Argentina and the highest site where stromatoliths have been recorded to date; their existence was the reason why the lake was made a protected area.
The discovery of stromatoliths at Laguna Socompa and the extreme conditions that exist there offers insights into the development of early life on Earth as microbe-formed structures like stromatoliths were the main traces of life from between 3.5 and 1.5 billion years ago before stromatoliths declined between 1 and 0.7 billion years ago due to the development of burrowing and grazing lifeforms. Previously stromatoliths were known mainly from marine and carbonatic environments such as in the Bahamas, the Coorong Lagoon and Shark Bay in Australia, the Lagoa Salgada in Brazil and the Laguna Bacalar in Mexico. The Laguna Socompa stromatoliths are the first to be discovered at elevations exceeding 3,500 metres (11,500 ft); the presence of active hot springs may be responsible for their formation.
These stromatoliths have a layered structure and cone-like shapes that sometimes overlap and then form large domes, unlike the bushy or crustose stromatoliths found elsewhere, and are found underwater on the southern shores of the lake, protected from the strong UV radiation. They have a layered structure, with the layers having distinct appearances on the surface and inside of the stromatolite. The UV protective carotenoid pigment deinoxanthin gives them a pink colour. Unusually, some stromatoliths are formed out of halite rather than the more common aragonite/carbonate although aragonite and silica are their most important building materials.
The dominant bacteria in the stromatoliths are Microcoleus cyanobacteria and deinococci in the surface; there are also eukaryotic algae, diatoms. Other taxa include Desulfobacterales, Rhodobacteraceae and Spirochaetes and mostly represent novel lineages; the extreme conditions of these high elevation lakes lead to high extremophile diversity. Some of the Laguna Socompa stromatoliths are classified as Conophyton stromatoliths, which are otherwise only known as Precambrian (over 541 ± 1 million years old) fossils.
Laguna Socompa