Description
Location: Martin Formation, Verde Valley, Arizona, United States
Weight: 7.5 Ounces
Dimensions: 4 Inches Long, 2.9 Inches Wide, 1.7 Inches Thick
Devonian Age 380 Million Years Old
The item pictured is the one you will receive.
Thamnopora SP Fossil Coral
Around 410 million years ago, during the Devonian period, corals re-emerged and began building the first large reef systems. These early reefs were bustling underwater communities, primarily formed by stromatoporoids (reef-building sponges that acted as structural pillars), tabulate corals (creating mounds, branches, and organ-like shapes), rugose corals (horn-shaped corals adding vertical complexity), and the ancestors of modern coralline algae (encrusting, colorful algae that helped stabilize the reefs).
By the end of the Devonian, scleractinian, or “stony,” corals appeared for the first time. These corals would eventually dominate modern reefs, thanks to their hard calcium carbonate skeletons.
However, around 350 million years ago, corals vanished from the fossil record. The exact cause is still debated, but evidence points to rapid sea-level changes and a sudden drop in atmospheric carbon dioxide, which likely disrupted reef ecosystems and led to their disappearance.
