A large outcrop of cup coral (Desmophyllum dianthus) fossils, covered in live sponges and bamboo corals, was seen during the seventh dive of the 2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones expedition. A sample of the fossilized material was collected. Carbon-14 dating of the sample could be used to estimate the age of the coral skeletons.
Cup Coral Fossils
Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones: New England and Corner Rise Seamounts. Download larger version (jpg, 1.1 MB).

A large outcrop of cup coral (Desmophyllum dianthus) fossils, covered in live sponges and bamboo corals, was seen during the seventh dive of the 2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones expedition. A sample of the fossilized material was collected. Carbon-14 dating of the sample could be used to estimate the age of the coral skeletons.

Learn more