Early Silurian (Aeronian) East Point Coral Patch Reefs of Anticosti Island, Eastern Canada: First Reef Recovery from the Ordovician/Silurian Mass Extinction in Eastern Laurentia

A significant discovery on Anticosti Island, eastern Canada, reveals the earliest evidence of reef recovery following the devastating Ordovician/Silurian mass extinction. This study identifies a late Aeronian patch reef swarm spanning 60–70 km, comprising over 100 reefs up to 80 meters in diameter and 10 meters high. These reefs, built primarily by tabulate and rugose corals alongside stromatoporoids, represent the first phase of reef recovery after a 5–6 million-year gap. The reefs exhibit unique symbiotic intergrowths between corals and stromatoporoids, along with a diverse array of calcifying cyanobacteria, crinoids, brachiopods, and green algae. The research also redefines the Menier Formation within the North American Stratigraphic Code, encompassing the lower two members of the existing Jupiter Formation.

Copper, P., & Jin, J. (2012). Early Silurian (Aeronian) East Point Coral Patch Reefs of Anticosti Island, Eastern Canada: First Reef Recovery from the Ordovician/Silurian Mass Extinction in Eastern Laurentia. Geosciences, 2(2), 64–89. https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences2020064