Marble Canyon Provincial Park

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env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/marble_can
Park Size: 355 hectares
Established in 1956 with the addition of Pavilion Lake on April 18th, 2001. The Pavilion Indian Band holds special heritage and spiritual connection to Pavilion Lake and the surrounding land. From the park campground view spectacular limestone cliffs 1 km high, part of the Pavilion Range. The park boundary now includes all of Pavilion Lake and the lake bottom to protect the unique and sensitive freshwater stromatolite features. Because the stromatolites are fragile scuba diving in Pavilion Lake requires specialised training.
Pavilion Lake is only one of a few places in the world where freshwater stromatolite features can be found. Similar stromatolites to 1-2 cm have been found at nearby Kelly Lake, but there are no known freshwater stromatolites anywhere else that approach the large size of those found at Pavilion Lake. There are large stromotalites found in hypersaline conditions in Hamelin Pool, which is part of the Shark Bay world heritage site in Australia. The coral-like structures are formed from fossilized remains of micro-organisms (microbiolites) that are considered to be similar to some of the oldest known lifeforms on Earth. Microbiolites are believed to have formed a critical stage in the evolution of life on earth. There is also scientific speculation that search for life on other planets such as Mars would focus on finding fossilized remains of similar organisms.