GlacialActivity

Glacial Activity

The glacial activity theory proposes that the foundations of modern coral reefs were created during the last ice age. Because glaciers held large amounts of sea water on land, the sea level was much lower during this time period. Wave patterns formed erosional terraces that corals would later colonize.

The discovery that lagoons have a relatively consistent depth of 150-270 feet, the approximate sea level during the last ice age, supported the glacial activity theory. Additionally, cliffs and terraces discovered at similar 400, 110, and 50 feet depths match the records of glacial activity in the Pleistocene Epoch (time period including the last ice age).