Categories: News

Ohio was an ocean 450-million-years-ago

Photo by Kellie Churchman on Pexels.com

CLEVELAND – According to research into the Geological History of Southwestern Ohio by Miami University, four hundred and fifty million years ago, during the Late Ordovician period, Ohio was submerged under a vast inland sea.

According to Miami University, this ancient ocean, extending from the Gulf of Mexico to the Arctic, was home to a diverse and abundant marine life, rivaling today’s seas in richness.

Unlike modern sea creatures, the Ordovician inhabitants were primarily invertebrates, such as brachiopods, trilobites, and corals.

These organisms thrived in the warm, Caribbean-like waters of the time. As they lived and died, their shells and skeletons, composed of calcium carbonate, accumulated on the muddy sea bottom.

This accumulation of carbonate sediments led to the formation of limestone, a common rock in Ohio today.

The process of limestone formation began with the fragmentation and disintegration of shells and skeletons, the production of tiny carbonate crystals by algae, and inorganic precipitation from seawater, according to Miami University.

Over time, layers of sediment were compressed and cemented together, a process known as lithification, resulting in the solid limestone rocks that now tell the story of Ohio’s ancient oceanic past.

Read more stories at Ohio Statewide.

Ohio Statewide Staff

Share
Published by
Ohio Statewide Staff

Recent Posts

Authorities searching for missing person in Ohio

OHIO — The Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help in locating 17-year-old…

2 hours ago

$150,000 lottery ticket winner sold in Ohio

OHIO — A lucky Ohio Lottery player has won $150,000 after purchasing a Monopoly Bonus…

2 hours ago

Police searching for wanted fugitive in Ohio

OHIO — The Dayton Police Department is asking for the public’s help in locating Brandon…

2 hours ago

Police searching for wanted fugitive in Tennessee

TENNESSEE — The Knoxville Police Department is actively searching for 41-year-old Amanda Nicole Moore, also…

2 hours ago

The possibility of spotting a mountain lion in South Carolina

U.S. Forest Service SOUTH CAROLINA — South Carolina residents may encounter mountain lions, also known…

2 hours ago

One person arrested following drug bust in Ohio

OHIO — A coordinated law enforcement operation earlier this week led to the arrest of…

2 hours ago