The level of knowledge is almost up to Charles Darwin in 1831
Rocks from the fossil Permian Reef in the Guadalupe Mountains of West Texas reveal secrets about changes in sea level and marine life 265 million years ago, according to a new study.
Improved understanding of this ancient reef could shed light on the effects of environmental change on living systems, a concern for coral reefs in today’s warming world.
Much like Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, which stretches across more than 1,600 miles and is so large it can be seen from space, the Permian Reef was a massive reef that grew in shallow tropical waters 265 million years ago.
“The ancient reef grew in water just below sea level and it overlooked the Permian Basin, which was more than 1,000 feet deep,” said study author Thomas Olszewski of Texas A&M in College Station. “The rocks at the foot of the mountains preserve sediments that record natural environmental changes caused by changing sea level and climate.”
These valuable rocks can show a record of past events in Earth history, and in the Permian Reef geologists can clearly see evidence for numerous rises and falls of sea level, Olszewski said.
Who would have thought that sea levels changed and Coral adapted! Next you will find something that shows CO2 concentrations changing and Coral adapting. The wonders of modern day science, they have regressed to the 1800s.
CO2 is limiting…..
…..more CO2 and corals grow faster
Coral reefs are so FRAGILE! They cannot handle even a degree or two of temperature change. That is why they have been around for 265 million years.