Fossil foraminifera Science Image

Ref: 80019450



Foraminiferan fossil. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of the fossilised shell (test) of a foraminiferan. Foraminifera are single-celled marine protozoa that construct and inhabit a calcium carbonate shell composed of several chambers. The shells form an important component of chalk. In past geological ages, foraminifera were so numerous that their shells have formed immense fossil deposits, seen today as limestone. This fossil was found in chalk laid down in the Cretaceous period, between 142 and 65 million years ago, at Rochester, Kent, UK. Magnification x325 at 10cm wide.