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How far did global sea level fall during Late Ordovician glaciation?
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Silurian Period
Distribution of landmasses, mountainous regions, shallow seas, and deep ocean basins during the middle part of the Silurian Period. Included in the paleogeographic reconstruction are the locations of the interval's subduction zones.
During the Late Ordovician glaciation, global sea levels experienced a significant decline as continental ice sheets expanded across Gondwana. Estimates regarding the magnitude of this sea-level fall vary among scientific sources:12
- Some records indicate a pronounced drop of nearly 160 metres (525 feet).1
- Other geological evidence suggests a maximum global fall on the order of 70 metres (about 230 feet).3
This glacially induced drawdown drained vast epicontinental seas, exposing immense areas of former marine habitat and creating dramatic unconformities in the geological record between the Ordovician and Silurian systems.132