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WEEKLY NEWS 4: Coral Reef Preserved

When the term “coral reef” is mentioned, images of beautiful oceans in exotic countries may come to mind. However, the world’s oldest specimen of coral may be found in Vermont, a land-locked state that is known more for its maple syrup than for sea life.

On Tuesday, preservation groups announced that the section of Lake Champlain in which the ancient coral was found will be preserved and opened to the public.

The 71-acre area that is now a natural preservation site is home to fossilized coral that scientists estimate to be around 450 million years old. The Chazy Reef, as the ancient area is called, was formed almost half a billion years ago when the North American continent was south of the equator. While south of the equator, the water in what is now Lake Champlain was much warmer. It is in this warm, moving water that a large coral reef developed.

The coral consists of fossilized members of both modern and pre-historic coral species. Though the original reef was over 1,000 miles long, stretching from Newfoundland to Tennessee, the only large visible portion is found on Isla de La Motte, a 21-square mile island where the Chazy Reef is located.

The preservation site now joins Fitch’s Quarry, which is also a site of ancient rocks, and welcomes about 3,000 visitors per year. Preservation groups in charge of paying the undisclosed price for the land hope that the site serves as an “ecology destination for people who are interested in studying these kinds of rocks, or the history of life or the history of Vermont,” one member of the group told the Associate Press.

--Written by Morgan Diamond

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