4.8" Thamnopora SP Coral Fossil Coral Reef Devonian Age Verde Valley, Arizona

Location: Martin Formation, Verde Valley, Arizona

Weight: 10.2 Ounces  

Dimensions: 4.8 Inches Long, 3.2 Inches Wide, 1.2 Inches Thick 

Devonian Age 380 Million Years Old

The item pictured is the one you will receive.

Thamnopora SP Fossil Coral

The Devonian period witnessed a pivotal moment in coral evolution approximately 410 million years ago, when these organisms first constructed substantial reef complexes. Early Devonian reefs comprised a diverse assemblage of taxa: stromatoporoids functioning as primary reef architects, tabulate corals exhibiting varied morphologies (mounds, branches, and tubular forms), rugose corals with characteristic conical geometry, and primitive coralline algae species. The emergence of scleractinian corals—the modern reef-building taxa—occurred during the late Devonian. By 350 million years ago, corals had disappeared from the paleontological record, an extinction event attributed to oscillating sea levels and declining atmospheric CO₂ concentrations. This specimen exemplifies the geological significance of Devonian coral fauna and provides direct evidence of this critical evolutionary transition in marine ecosystems.