Britannica
Sources used in this answer
Where can Silurian limestone deposits be found in North America?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
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.
In North America, Silurian limestones and dolomites are found across an extensive territory. These deposits stretch along one axis from northern Greenland to West Texas and along another axis from Quebecâs Anticosti Island to the Great Basin of Utah and Nevada.1
Additionally, the Niagara Escarpmentâa prominent ridge of resistant Silurian dolomiteâextends more than 1,000 km (about 600 miles) from the Niagara Falls area through Michiganâs Upper Peninsula to the Door Peninsula in Wisconsin. Other notable manifestations of Silurian rock, including limestone, are found in the rolling hills of eastern Iowa and parts of central and southern Indiana.2