Paleo Slide Set: Coral Paleoclimatology
5-meter high colony of massive coral (Pavona clavus), Urvina Bay, Galapagos Islands.

The earth's surface is a dynamic place shaped and reshaped by incredibly powerful processes. 
This 5-meter high colony of massive coral (Pavona clavus) from the Galapagos was lifted high 
and dry during a turbulent period of rapid tectonic uplift in 1954. Cataclysmic transformations 
such as this underscore the fact that our planet is always changing. Most of these changes, 
however, are much subtler than the sudden rise of the ocean floor or the dramatic explosion 
of a volcano.

Photo Credits:
Jerry Wellington
Department of Biology, University of Houston