Pilbara stromatolites showing Earth's earliest life forms nominated for national heritage listing

Not far from Australia's hottest town is one of the hottest geological sites on the planet. Key points: The North Pole Dome and Meentheena sites near Marble Bar have been nominated for a national heritage listing Stromatolite fossils, which are about 3.5 billion-years-old, can be found at North Pole Dome The two sites show some of the earliest signs of life on Earth The North Pole Dome, about 40 kilometres west of Marble Bar in Western Australia's Pilbara region, is home to 3.5 billion-year-old stromatolite fossils. The significance of the rocks, scattered over more than 25 kilometres, has resulted in the area being nominated for national heritage listing by University of New South Wales geologist Martin Van Kranendonk. A second site about 75 kilometres to the east of Marble Bar called Meentheena, which contains 2.7 billion-year-old stromatolite fossils, has also been nominated for the heritage listing. "It turns out that on Mars there are hot spring deposits, and if life ever got started on Mars … then hot springs would be likely the best place to go," he said.