The tiny skeletal remains of radiolaria, hard to see without a microscope, are astoundingly beautiful. They are often perforated in intricate patterns. These silica skeleton remains settle to the ocean floor to form radiolarian ooze. As the ocean floor can lift and form land, the ooze becomes sedimentary rock. Some of these tiny fossils are over 3 billion years old! 90% of these protozoan creatures are currently extinct, although those living today are mostly concentrated in the equatorial zone. The fact that the rock of the earth is made from the intricate skeletons of creatures billions of years old is amazing.
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