This article presents a detailed description of stromatolites formed simultaneously with caves’ bedrock, within karstic areas in Southeastern Brazil. We discuss the importance of such fossils for geoconservation and their legal preservation under the Brazilian law. Six caves are described with occurrences of Conophyton-type stromatolites. All those caves are located in the State of Minas Gerais, one of which in the Arcos-Pains-Doresópolis Karst (Bambuí Group) and the others in the Vazante-Paracatu-Unaí Karst (Vazante Group). In general, the stromatolite columns are not exquisitely preserved, yet conspicuously exposed in cross section and lateral view. The stromatolite caves are easily accessed, making them suitable for scientific and educational activities to both academic and non-specialized public. Yet, such activities should rely on the implementation of a management plan for monitoring potential damage due to anthropic interference. Given the rarity of caves with fossils embedded in their host rocks, these structures should be treated with the status of maximum importance for conservation, according to the Brazilian legislation, thereby ensuring their permanent protection, with the support of the public entities for environment and nature.

中文翻译：

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巴西东南部洞穴中的间质岩及其对地质保护的重要性

本文详细介绍了巴西东南部岩溶区内与洞穴基岩同时形成的叠层石。我们讨论了此类化石对于地球保护及其根据巴西法律进行法律保护的重要性。六个洞穴被描述为带有Conophyton型叠层石。所有这些洞穴都位于米纳斯吉拉斯州，其中一个位于Arcos-Pains-Doresópolis岩溶（Bambuí组）中，另一个位于Vazante-Paracatu-Unaí岩溶（Vazante组）中。通常，叠层石柱没有得到很好的保存，但在横截面和侧视图中却明显地暴露在外。叠层岩洞穴很容易到达，使其适合学术界和非专业公众的科学和教育活动。但是，此类活动应依靠管理计划的实施来监测人为干扰造成的潜在损害。根据巴西的法律，鉴于在其宿主岩石中埋有化石的洞穴非常稀少，因此应对这些结构进行保护时应具有最大的重要性，