Ordovician
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˌɔrdəˈvɪʃən/
- Specialized
:
ordovícico
- The rocks in this region date back to the Ordovician, which was marked by the appearance of many new species.
- Ordovician and Cambrian
Examples
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Many fossils from the Ordovician period show a variety of marine life, indicating a time of great biodiversity.
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But among more than sixty major examples of soft-bodied fossil preservation, the only significant example known from the Ordovician is Beecher's Trilobite Bed.
Academic text (1992) -
A number of families, however, squeezed through and gave rise in the Ordovician to new and diverse groups.
Academic text (1992) -
During the Early Ordovician, organic buildups formed in shallow seas across the world.
Blog text (19) -
At the end of the Ordovician, the glacial icecaps melted and sea level rose.
Academic text (1992) -
This project found that warm, shallow-water organic buildups of the Early Ordovician were small-scale structures that were typically 1-3 meters in height and several meters in width, with the length variable depending on location.
Blog text (19) -
Scientists study the Ordovician to understand the evolution of early marine ecosystems.
Synonyms
A time about 485 to 444 million years ago when many sea animals lived
Compounds
- Specialized
A time about 485 to 444 million years ago when many sea animals lived
Surface Forms
Morphology
Ordovician = Ordovices (opaque) = ordovic + ian
The name is formed from a tribal name plus the suffix '-ian'; knowing the tribal name does not help a learner infer the meaning 'a geological period'.
Etymology
Ordovician comes from the name of an old Welsh people, the Ordovices, because rocks of that age were first studied in their area as the science of geology grew; a helpful way to remember it is to think of those Welsh lands and their ancient sea beds. So, Ordovician now means the geological period and its rocks about 485 to 444 million years ago.