ORD RANGES, AUSTRALIA

Details

A LARGE FREEFORM OF TIGER IRON
ORD RANGES, AUSTRALIA
From the Paleoproterozoic (2.5 to 1.6 billion years ago) the banded layers of hematite, jasper and chatoyant Tiger-eye polished on two sides, one side left in a natural state, the base cut flat and marked with DW.
13 x 7 x 3in. (33 x 19 x 7cm.)

Special notice

These lots have been imported from outside the EU for sale using a Temporary Import regime. Import VAT is payable (at 5%) on the Hammer price. VAT is also payable (at 20%) on the buyer’s Premium on a VAT inclusive basis. When a buyer of such a lot has registered an EU address but wishes to export the lot or complete the import into another EU country, he must advise Christie's immediately after the auction.

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James Hyslop

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Lot Essay

As one of the earliest fossilized forms of life, a mystery still surrounds the creation of Tiger Iron almost 2 billion years ago — during a hostile era when the newly formed continents were barren and life was confined to the seas. Scientists have suggested that it is a banded iron formation (layered sediments caused by photosynthetic cyanobacteria) or a Stromatolite (layers of algae), or even both. Simple photosynthesising life forms such as these dominated the first two billion years of life on Earth, and were probably the source of the Oxygen in the atmosphere.

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