 Microbialite is a rock or benthic sedimentary deposit made of carbonate mud (particle diameter < 5 μm) that is formed with the mediation of microbes. The constituent carbonate mud is a type of automicrite, or authigenic carbonate mud, and therefore it precipitates in situ instead of being transported and deposited. Been formed in situ, a microbialite can be seen as a type of boundstone where reef builders are microbes, and precipitation of carbonate is biotically induced instead of forming tests, shells or skeletons. Bacteria can precipitate carbonate both in shallow and in deep water (except for cyanobacyeria) and so microbialites can form regardless of the sunlight. Classification Microbialites can have three different fabrics: alt=|Classification of microbialites (redrawn and simplified from Schmid, 1996). Stromatolitic: microbialite layered, laminated or agglutinated to form a stromatolite. Thrombolitic: microbialite with a clotted peloidal fabric if observed with a petrographic microscope. The density of peloids is variable. At the scale of the hand sample, the rock shows a dendritic fabric, and can be named thrombolite. Leiolitic: a microbialite with no layering nor clotted peloidal fabric. It is only made of a dense automicrite. alt=|Stromatolites are laminated microbialites (in this figure, a Precambrian silicified stromatolite from the Strelley Pool Chert (SPC) (Pilbara Craton) - Western Australia)
Microbialites in Lake Salda rocks alt=|Classification of microbialites (redrawn and simplified from Schmid, 1996).alt=|Stromatolites – laminated microbialites (Precambrian silicified stromatolite, Strelley Pool Chert, (Pilbara Craton), W. Australia) Microbialite is a rock or benthic sedimentary deposit made of carbonate mud (particle diameter < 5 μm) that is formed with the mediation of microbes. The constituent carbonate mud is a type of automicrite, or authigenic carbonate mud, and therefore it precipitates in situ instead of being transported and deposited. Been formed in situ, a microbialite can be seen as a type of boundstone where reef builders are microbes, and precipitation of carbonate is biotically induced instead of forming tests, shells or skeletons. Bacteria can precipitate carbonate both in shallow and in deep water (except for cyanobacyeria) and so microbialites can form regardless of the sunlight. Classification Microbialites can have three different fabrics: Stromatolitic: microbialite layered, laminated or agglutinated to form a stromatolite. Thrombolitic: microbialite with a clotted peloidal fabric if observed with a petrographic microscope. The density of peloids is variable. At the scale of the hand sample, the rock shows a dendritic fabric, and can be named thrombolite. Leiolitic: a microbialite with no layering nor clotted peloidal fabric. It is only made of a dense automicrite. 
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Microbialites in Lake Salda rocks alt=|Classification of microbialites (redrawn and simplified from Schmid, 1996).alt=|Stromatolites – laminated microbialites (Precambrian silicified stromatolite, Strelley Pool Chert, (Pilbara Craton), W. Australia)
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alt=|Classification of microbialites (redrawn and simplified from Schmid, 1996).
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alt=|Stromatolites are laminated microbialites (in this figure, a Precambrian silicified stromatolite from the Strelley Pool Chert (SPC) (Pilbara Craton) - Western Australia)