Description
Location: Martin Formation, Verde Valley, Arizona, United States
Weight: 2.3 Ounces
Dimensions: 3.1 Inches Long, 1.4 Inches Wide, 1.3 Inches Thick
Devonian Age 380 Million Years Old
The item pictured is the one you will receive.
Thamnopora SP Fossil Coral
Beginning around 410 million years ago, the Devonian period saw corals make a triumphant comeback, establishing the world's first expansive reef communities. These ancient reefs flourished with stromatoporoids—remarkable sponge-like organisms that built reef structures—paired with tabulate corals forming diverse shapes from mounds to branching formations, rugose corals with their characteristic horn-like appearance, and primitive coralline algae species that adorned rock surfaces with multiple colors. Toward the Devonian's end, the first stony corals emerged—the very ancestors of the vibrant reefs we know today. Regrettably, this coral renaissance proved temporary. By 350 million years ago, corals had vanished from the geological record entirely. Though scientists continue investigating the precise cause, evidence points to significant ocean level fluctuations and a dramatic reduction in atmospheric carbon dioxide as the likely culprits behind this sudden coral extinction.
