Why were sea levels higher during the Silurian than they are in the present day?

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Silurian paleogeography — 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.

Sea levels were significantly higher during the Silurian Period primarily because of the melting of extensive glaciers that had formed during the Late Ordovician ice age.12

As these massive ice sheets melted, the resulting water returned to the oceans, causing a rapid and dramatic rise in global sea levels. This influx of water reflooded vast continental platforms that had previously been drained and exposed during the glacially induced lowstands of the late Ordovician. Additionally, continental elevations during the Silurian were generally much lower than they are today, which further facilitated the flooding of large expanses of land by shallow seas.13