Marine life diversified dramatically and the first reefs and land plants appeared. As Gondwana drifted over the South Pole, the period ended in sudden glaciation and mass extinction.
Explore the Ordovician Earth in 3D →First large-scale reef ecosystems formed in the early Ordovician. The most productive marine habitats emerged, driving explosive ocean biodiversity.
Moss-like ancestors colonized land from water. The beginning of terrestrial ecosystems, enabling soil formation and atmospheric oxygen increase.