This is a rare and interesting sediment fossil from the Ediacaran period, classified as Cupperia tubiformis. It is an unusual microbialite, originally described by Walcott in 1914 from the Precambrian of Montana. Walcott characterizes Cupperia tubiformis as tubular and filamentous. The species is interpreted as fossilized cyanobacteria-like colonies that participated in the formation of calcium deposits. This hypothesis is supported by the fact that findings from Australia have been discovered in concretionary limestone lenses. The structures of Cupperia tubiformis may have formed through hydrodynamic processes—similar to Kinneyia structures, which originated from thin biofilms on dune surfaces. Apparently, Cupperia exhibited a stronger development both in structure and thickness. The formation hypothesis of Cupperia remains a subject of scientific debate and is sometimes contested. However, it is the most widely accepted theory, with a biogenic involvement considered highly probable.
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